tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73758508577587861412024-02-18T23:14:17.298-08:00Stephanie Doucette, M.S., L.Ac.Acupuncture & Herbal MedicineStephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-46196597205939714812021-01-27T11:02:00.001-08:002021-01-27T11:20:04.476-08:00<p> </p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">Welcome to the acupuncture & herbal medicine practice of<br /><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: medium;"><b>Stephanie Doucette, M.S., L.Ac.</b></span><br /><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlC-IsIeEZG1WhQ9kNOIjTSV_B8vOiux6sgnYHJWqp2tDAoGHIomIeoCSYIY5KuPb7Z2s9yl2N8dlonlAwR5hWDNczfHRluNQ9ZRsZxDVMlatDxYEx0dQIXU9QIAXCmfGyc_6Vn76J6-w/s1600/9086598029_409d75f3f4_n.jpg" style="color: #771000; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlC-IsIeEZG1WhQ9kNOIjTSV_B8vOiux6sgnYHJWqp2tDAoGHIomIeoCSYIY5KuPb7Z2s9yl2N8dlonlAwR5hWDNczfHRluNQ9ZRsZxDVMlatDxYEx0dQIXU9QIAXCmfGyc_6Vn76J6-w/s1600/9086598029_409d75f3f4_n.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a></div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">Specializing in Integrative Orthopedic Medicine, Pain Management,</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">Internal Medicine and Women's Health</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">ACUPUNCTURE HERBAL MEDICINE NUTRITION</span></b></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #333333;"> O</span>RTHOPEDIC<span style="color: #333333;"> THERAPY </span></span></b><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #274e13;">in WEST BERKELEY</span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I accept most forms of insurance.</b><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Please call 510-495-5752 to find out if our services are covered by your health plan.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><b>My practice is open, and I am taking the following precautions to prevent the transmission and spread of COVID-19 virus:</b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white;"><ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><li style="text-align: left;">I wear a KN95 mask the entire time that I'm in the office;</li><li style="text-align: left;">My treatment table, headrest, equipment and other commonly-touched surfaces are all disinfected for each patient;</li><li style="text-align: left;">Paper pillow coverings are disposed of after each patient visit;</li><li style="text-align: left;">Sheets are changed and laundered after each patient;</li><li style="text-align: left;">My treatment room is large, high-ceilinged and well-ventilated. I keep windows open and run a HEPA/UV air filter for during and between patient visits;</li><li style="text-align: left;">I schedule at least a half hour between patients to allow social distancing and keep hallways and waiting areas clear, and to give me plenty of time to sanitize and air out the treatment room;</li><li style="text-align: left;">I get a COVID test every week;</li><li style="text-align: left;">I have received the COVID-19 vaccine.</li></ul><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><b>Here is what I ask of patients in terms of COVID-19 precautions:</b></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">You will wear a mask at all times while you are in the office, worn correctly and making sure your nose and mouth are covered.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I will take your temperature with a non-touch thermometer as you enter the office.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Stay home if you or someone you live with is sick and/or has experienced any symptoms of upper respiratory infection (including symptoms of loss of taste or smell, cough, fever, chills, headache, sore throat, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or body aches.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">If you have gone outside your bubble to an indoor social engagement (wedding, church, party, etc.) or if you have traveled by airplane, please do not come for treatment for at least ten days after exposure.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">You might want to bring a light blanket from home. I keep windows open in the treatment room. I can heat the room pretty well, but you might like to have an extra blanket to keep yourself cozy during your treatment.</span></li></ul></div></div><br /><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">Please call today to schedule your appointment, 510-495-5752,<br />or email stephanie@stephaniedoucette.com.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0uR0eIa3FPNhgdoVUYJrMZnhf0dv8Kcmfsy6xb38ogzprPjTkqNFfNn1subxxWdLAwziydryeaiFxTFpXtWrOcHO4H7gg7RVCdWWUmPcABJuspqyw5jcQh5JRSnvsBrv0vhwD9bJp0A/s1600/9088816362_36450ce06a_m.jpg" style="color: #771000; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0uR0eIa3FPNhgdoVUYJrMZnhf0dv8Kcmfsy6xb38ogzprPjTkqNFfNn1subxxWdLAwziydryeaiFxTFpXtWrOcHO4H7gg7RVCdWWUmPcABJuspqyw5jcQh5JRSnvsBrv0vhwD9bJp0A/s200/9088816362_36450ce06a_m.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Please enjoy Stephanie's natural health <a href="http://www.stephaniedoucette.com/" target="_blank">BLOG</a>.</b></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-35977006224957585462020-10-19T16:06:00.014-07:002020-10-20T10:10:20.370-07:00Perspectives on Immunity: Sharon Weizenbaum & Shang Han Lun Theory<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I write this, we are deep into autumn and winter is coming. It’s the time of year when many of us start to think more about how well our </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">immune system</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is functioning. We hope to be able to avoid more severe courses of the seasonal viruses that will inevitably circulate during the winter months. This year, of course, we not only have colds and influenza to worry about. We continue to be preoccupied with </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">COVID-19</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which appears to be surging around the world with the coming of winter to the northern hemisphere</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Those of us in the Western United States may wonder, additionally, whether persistent exposure to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wildfire smoke</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (or avoidance of outdoor activity due to smoky air) over the past two months, during this year’s unprecedented </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fire season</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, may have impacted our abilities to deal with infections this winter.</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmAqnz2HuaRODvDfq50-atSdF1BmT9IKJrFged1f0wmisszkJlXoS6Y8BH80IYIxMFg4GRVnZjbD-mQIBEvCO5BPk_Zb73yoRQ2R5IzYIGtXHeKLwV9sqdqX7abfloZLNx5DeJATk1I4/s2048/Eva+pumpkin.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmAqnz2HuaRODvDfq50-atSdF1BmT9IKJrFged1f0wmisszkJlXoS6Y8BH80IYIxMFg4GRVnZjbD-mQIBEvCO5BPk_Zb73yoRQ2R5IzYIGtXHeKLwV9sqdqX7abfloZLNx5DeJATk1I4/w150-h200/Eva+pumpkin.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this late autumn context, in the midst of a pandemic, with flu season up on us, I thought it could be useful to talk about <b>immunity</b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been thinking a lot about immunity this year and gotten some interesting perspectives from various teachers of herbal medicine. If time allows, I'd love to present some of these views in upcoming blogposts.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll start today with a teaching on <b>immunity</b> that I heard from <b>Sharon Weizenbaum</b>, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">a long-time herbalist and acupuncturist based in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she directs the </span><a href="https://whitepinehealingarts.org/" style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><b>White Pine Institute</b></a>.<span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Weizenbaum is a scholar of Chinese language and classical Chinese herbalism. She and her students</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> have been leading voices in the discussion of Chinese herbal approaches to COVID-19 in the United States.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">In March 2020, as the pandemic arrived in North America, Dr. Weizenbaum and her colleagues were learning about the treatment of COVID-19 in China & beginning to treat COVID patients on the East Coast, using classical Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions. At that time, Dr. Weizenbaum gave a lecture on her interpretation of the <b>Chinese medicine perspective on immunity and the immune system</b>, drawing particularly on <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">the classical Chinese Medicine text, the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Discussion of Cold-Induced Disorders, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">or </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Shang Han Lun, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">attributed to the Eastern Han Dynasty physician Zhang Zhong-jing (150-219 CE.) </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">This lecture was much more theoretical than practical, and did not go into specific herbs and therapies. I found interesting Dr. Weizenbaum's effort to "open the narrative" on immunity, distinguishing between an us-vs-them perspective & a more holistic, integrated view of host and environment.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Opening the “Standard Narrative” on Immunity:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbuam begins her lecture by stating that there is a standard narrative on immunity that informs our approach to infectious disease in the modern, western world. It is characterized by a dualistic and militaristic quality, an "us vs them" perspective. It is basically:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><ul style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are bad things out there. They can “get in” and “GET ME.”</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way to stay healthy is to strengthen my defenses and keep the bad things OUT.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If they get in, I need to ATTACK them, kill them, and/or get them out.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My “immune system” keeps things out and helps my body FIGHT BAD THINGS OFF.</span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum acknowledges the <b>value of this narrative</b> for some purposes. In the context of the pandemic, the narrative of “there are bad things out there that can get inside of me” forces us to <b>social distance, </b>which in turn<b> slows the spread of the virus and saves lives</b>. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">At the same time, Dr. Weizenbaum states that this narrative of immunity can have some negative outcomes. She seeks to open our understanding of immunity to different narratives.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is No “One-Size-Fits-All” Approach,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Everyone Needs to be Treated as an Individual:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum acknowledges that the idea that “there are bad things out there that can get inside of us” created an atmosphere of fear at the onset of the pandemic. Some of us sought protective herbs. Various one-size-fits-all preventive herbal or medicinal formulations got pedaled around the internet. There were recommendations for herbal formulas consisting of cold, bitter “antiviral” herbs; and others for warm, dispersing “protective” herbs. Dr. Weizenbaum points out that herbal prescribing needs to be more nuanced, based on a complex understanding of the natures and qualities of herbs, as well as the synergistic qualities of herbal formulations. It also needs to be based on an understanding of each individual’s specific need as determined by a differential diagnosis of symptom patterns and constitution. If a patient is already cold, they should not take cold, bitter herbs. This could make them worse. If a patient is symptomatic, they should probably not take warming, tonifying herbs. Simplistic one-size-fits-all herbal preventive measures, though attractive in the face of a scary viral pandemic, could be dangerous for certain individuals. </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Immune System is Not Just One Thing:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum continues her lecture by broadening our perspective on the immune system. Asking, “How, then, do I help my immune system?”, she notes:</span></p><br /><ul style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “immune system” is none other than the sum-total of the functions of my whole body. Immunity is based on the collective functioning of all body systems: circulatory, digestive, respiratory, nervous, etc.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If this is true, I should observe: How does my body function? How is my body <i>not</i> functioning optimally? </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often one can observe a weak link or two in how our body is functioning. This weak link, she states, is the area that needs strengthening, or optimizing, as we seek to improve our immunity.</span></p></li></ul><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, if every time I eat, I get bloated, and food moves through my body really slowly, perhaps this inhibits my body’s ability to create healthy cells. So, digestion and assimilation of nutrients is the area that needs attention as I seek to boost my immunity.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or, if I have asthma and don’t breathe well, then that’s an important area to address, in relation to protecting myself against the virus.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Or if my sleep is poor and I experience excessive stress, then I might address that issue at its root.<br /></span><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Various Historical Approaches to Infectious Disease in Chinese Medicine:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Next in her lecture, Dr. Weizenbaum briefly surveys some of the approaches to infectious disease in various historical periods of the Chinese medicine traditions. You can find a brief summary of these </span><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2020/04/roots-of-chinese-medicine-strategies.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, in one of my blog posts from earlier this year.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum concludes that some of these approaches are still dominated by the narrative of “bad things out there.” For example, she states, the 18th century “<i>Wen Bing</i>” or “Warm Disease” theory, which arose in China in response to the introduction of western viral infections like measles & mumps, is basically restatement of the idea that there are “bad” viral pathogens out there that can get inside of me. In the Wen Bing school of thought, we look at a patient’s symptoms to reveal the “nature of the pathogen.” I.e., if the patient’s tongue has a yellow-greasy coating, then the pathogen must be warm and damp. But what exactly does this mean, that the pathogen is warm-damp? Is there really a pathogen inside of us spreading heat and dampness? What exactly is that pathogen doing in our body? Modern-day practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine continues to follow this pathogen-focused approach: i.e. we have to find, identify and attack the pathogen, using herbs that counter the nature of that pathogen. With the increased influence of western biomedical theory, modern practitioners of TCM seek to add herbs shown to have “antiviral” properties to our armory for treatment and prevention of viral infection.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ultimately, having surveyed these historical Chinese medical schools and trends, Dr. Weizenbaum chooses to be guided by the older classical <i>Shang Han Lun</i> (or Cold-Induced Disorder) laid out in the writings of the Eastern Han Dynasty Physician Zhang Zhong-Jing (150-219 CE,) which she feels is more compatible with an expanded understanding of the human immune system. Again, see </span><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2020/04/roots-of-chinese-medicine-strategies.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">my previous blog post</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> for more information on these various historical streams in the Chinese medicine approach to infectious disease.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: 12pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoESSEE1ZHlweGMtSZ6LQ4ByNALs_-hRL77z1_MCwanOMZATt0agjJ0WQDywNRQgIzF-_FErXfpTm9-6Yf6nhJd_MfVi1rmRaxuKX5vwUuI1vO5V5Ca3GXPD9IoxKjFXyaOn9GcPm7Wnc/s2048/Chinese_woodcut%252C_Famous_medical_figures%253B_Zhang_Zhongjing_Wellcome_L0039319.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoESSEE1ZHlweGMtSZ6LQ4ByNALs_-hRL77z1_MCwanOMZATt0agjJ0WQDywNRQgIzF-_FErXfpTm9-6Yf6nhJd_MfVi1rmRaxuKX5vwUuI1vO5V5Ca3GXPD9IoxKjFXyaOn9GcPm7Wnc/w213-h320/Chinese_woodcut%252C_Famous_medical_figures%253B_Zhang_Zhongjing_Wellcome_L0039319.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eastern Han Dynasty Physician Zhang Zhong-Jing<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“This is a Narrative About the World and Life:” A Different Narrative on Immunity</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">In her understanding of <i>Shang Han Lun</i> theory of diagnosis and herbal treatment, Dr. Weizenbaum sees an understanding of immunity that is wider than the dualistic, militaristic “bad things out there that I need to protect myself against” narrative.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The narrative she seeks to embrace, in her approach to health, healing and immunity, is about the world and life. It involves an understanding that:</span></p><br /><ul style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The nature of life is one of<b> interconnection;</b></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Health</b> is about <b>being in a</b> <b>workable relationship with life</b>;</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Healing</b> is about <b>coming into this workable relationship with life</b>.</span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The fact is that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a part of our world. Part of “boosting our immunity” to this virus might be our body making a shift so that we can eventually live with the virus without it causing us problems. Illness or infection with the virus might be perceived as a process of our body shifting, so that we can now live with the virus as part of our world.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum states that, with this shift in perspective, the question changes from “how do I keep the virus out of me?” (although this is also important at this stage!) to “When I do get sick, how can I help my body process this, so it doesn't hurt me so much? How can I improve my chances of coming through the illness well, and to become able to live with the virus being part of my world?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum states that Chinese medicine, and Chinese herbs, have a lot to offer in terms of helping our bodies shift into a workable relationship with the new virus.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What Is COVID-19 then? And how does it relate to our Immune System?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum states that COVID-19 is something new in our world that we are being forced to come into relationship with. And our immune system, in this narrative, is the sum of all our body functions that help us learn to come into relationship with the outside world. It is our immune system that enables us to learn to live in harmony with the world outside our bodies, which now includes the COVID-19 virus. This view is in contrast to the dualistic, militaristic idea of our immune system “fighting off the virus.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How Do the Symptoms of COVID-19 Guide Us?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Dr. Weizenbaum tells us that our symptoms, when we contract an illness, tell us two things:</span></p><br /><ol style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The specific ways in which our specific body is having a hard time coming into relationship with this illness, and</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What demands this new illness is making is making on our individual body as we come into relationship with it. (i.e. we can consider what particular demands this particular virus is making on certain systems of our individual bodies, based on where dysfunction shows up as we encounter the virus.)</span></p></li></ol><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As A Healer…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">As healers, then, our goal is to help the patient’s body come into relationship with this new virus. (The same can be said for any of us caring for ourselves as we encounter a new challenge.) Our process of diagnosis is to observe where the body is having a hard time in terms of physiological functions (rather than considering the specific nature of the pathogen.) Our treatment is to provide measures to help the body process this new challenge better, and to not let it kill us/the patient.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Seeing the Body as a Circle</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Having established a foundational framework that our bodies are part of an interconnected network of life in the world, Dr. Weizenbaum further describes how our bodies relate to and interact with the world. Our bodies, she states, function as a <b>circle</b>. We are constantly taking in life and nature, and giving back to nature. In this way, we live with nature. We are nature.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">We<b> take in</b> life/nature in a vertical downward motion, according to natural rhythms, through breath, digestion, our pores, our senses and our hearts. We <b>give back</b> to nature not only through our breath, our pores, our excrement, but also through our actions, our relationships, our creations, our lives.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">If we try to keep something out (as in “keep out the virus,”) we are stopping a natural, cyclical process.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">So, we are constantly <b>taking in and giving back, in a cyclical manner</b>. We are in a <b>permeable relationship with life</b>. The ability to do this well is the mark of a healthy immune system.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Problems (illness) occur when:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><ul style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our body doesn’t process something well, or</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Something is being demanded of our body that is beyond our body’s ability to process. </span></p></li></ul><div style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">By extension, COVID-19 makes a person very ill or, tragically, kills a person when:</span></p><ul style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The person’s body can’t process the virus in some way, and </span></span></div></div></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The person’s body does not get the help it needs to process the illness. </span></span></div></div></span></li></ul><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At least in the early stages of the pandemic, western medicine was mostly at a loss in terms of what to offer to help a patient's body process the virus before it became severe or life-threatening. Some interventions</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> might include a humidifier, or over-the-counter medications like robitussin or mucinex. Chinese herbs are another supportive intervention.</span><div style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div></span></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">COVID-19, Dr. Weizenbaum states, is coming into our world with very particular demands on our bodies. Her application of herbs is to help the body shift in a way to allow the novel virus to move through without hurting us so much. Diagnosis is identifying where in the cyclical process of taking in nature and giving back our bodies need help. The signs and symptoms an individual experiences in the course of a COVID infections give us the answer: where exactly in this cycle does the body need help to process.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">I will not go deeply into <i>Shang Han Lun</i> theory here, because that's a more lengthy & complicated discussion. Suffice it to say, <i>Shang Han Lun </i>theory illustrates six places in this this circular cycle where obstruction, insufficiency or dysfunction can occur. (For example, is there a blockage in our body's ability to vent a pathogen at early onset? Is there a blockage in the descension of food and oxygen? Do we lack ability store vital energy? Is our ability to tranform what comes in into vital energy? Etx.) Signs and symptoms are very specifically described in the <i>Shang Han Lun </i>text, which guide diagnosis of these dysfunctions. Herbal formulas aid physiological function by addressing these specific areas of dysfunction.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">In conclusion, I thought that this holistic perspective on immunity provides a nice counterpoint to our dominant narrative on host vs pathogen. I see these contending narratives play out in various medical approaches. On one extreme, western medicine devotes itself to understanding the nature of the infectious pathogen and its impact on our bodies in minute biochemical detail, and thereby learning how to fight and kill it. Holistic medicine, by contrast, tends to be more interested in cultivating the host's immune physiology. May the two systems work together, and perhaps the holistic view perspective might help us live in the world with less fear, and more peace and gentleness.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLR4Ar3769Jq3JWQK0KEJ-4B8nYfU98IiYWTmEa_kRQgkh1V7VK8RMpZ1avWAnOUFYRi-2HLlEJUKAxr9fCuGY13oRgzsGwcfj2nvnZstvNqAFzuZXfg_fzskzIeBbVNXxIij1Y19KOo/s1300/circle+of+life.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="1300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLR4Ar3769Jq3JWQK0KEJ-4B8nYfU98IiYWTmEa_kRQgkh1V7VK8RMpZ1avWAnOUFYRi-2HLlEJUKAxr9fCuGY13oRgzsGwcfj2nvnZstvNqAFzuZXfg_fzskzIeBbVNXxIij1Y19KOo/s320/circle+of+life.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p></span></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-30612680906466759902020-10-19T14:41:00.012-07:002020-10-20T09:39:47.618-07:00Half a Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Updates on COVID Research, Thoughts on Collective & Social Immunity, the Epidemic of Fear concept, etc.<span id="docs-internal-guid-b5665ed3-7fff-86be-be77-cc8970c53f3b"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I write this, we are deep into autumn and winter is coming. It’s the time of year when many of us start to think more about how well our </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">immune system</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is functioning. We hope to be able to avoid more severe courses of the seasonal viruses that will inevitably circulate during the winter months. This year, of course, we not only have colds and influenza to worry about. We continue to be preoccupied with </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">COVID-19</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Those of us in the Western United States may wonder, additionally, whether persistent exposure to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wildfire smoke</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (or avoidance of outdoor activity due to smoky air) over the past two months, during this year’s unprecedented </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fire season</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, may have impacted our abilities to deal with infections this winter.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bQlaXykOxpg9woiLC47Cjw5wPPT2mCgddSUuLsYTrRtDJi3q5YEHVJp7BKg7ov-p5ylktuUaWcpqyamhPRPZ8WATfZsPIbeVaceaM5t59hIbLm_iWW6dP8JgzzUmV7j7J3XOPqa2wqQ/s2048/fall+leaves.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bQlaXykOxpg9woiLC47Cjw5wPPT2mCgddSUuLsYTrRtDJi3q5YEHVJp7BKg7ov-p5ylktuUaWcpqyamhPRPZ8WATfZsPIbeVaceaM5t59hIbLm_iWW6dP8JgzzUmV7j7J3XOPqa2wqQ/s320/fall+leaves.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I thought I'd take some time to write out some of my musings on the pandemic, having watched in unfold in Berkeley during the past six months:</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Western Medical Research & COVID: A Round-Up of Recent News Articles:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In its approach to COVID-19, the western medical establishment has devoted itself to understanding everything it can about the COVID-19 virus and its transmission at a biochemical level. In the course of treating severely ill COVID patients, researchers and medical professionals are learning more about which medical treatments work and which don’t. Remdesivir, dexamethasone, and monoclonal antibodies all seem to offer some help to COVID patients. Here are a few related news items from the last couple of weeks: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s an interesting </span><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/10/07/eli-lilly-monoclonal-antibody-cocktail-covid-19/?utm_campaign=Chris%20Kresser%20General%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=97580325&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--HYqjomkxDTueXj4W7fQw-YwpXhng8O182UxM-RIqVJn8OnoNMcyl5C0hr52xQHKEwcn4HzCZicjmpojkzX2NfMik_XpoIWbXlgwG-NcnaYgiH0jo&utm_content=97580325&utm_source=hs_email" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">article on emerging evidence of the efficacy of monoclonal antibody treatment</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in combating COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies was one of the treatments President Trump received in hospital after contracting the virus.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It seems the jury is still out on the effectiveness of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">remdesivir,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a broad-spectrum antiviral medication which showed promise in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections related to COVID-19. One </span><a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2007764" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">study</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Oct 8, 2020, concluded that remdesivir was </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">superior to placebo</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in shortening the time to recovery in adults hospitalized with COVID-19 and having evidence of lower respiratory tract infection. On the other hand, </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-remdesivir-idUSL4N2H63XG" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a preliminary report</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, released a week later, of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s large scale<b> </b></span><a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/solidarity-clinical-trial-for-covid-19-treatments" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Solidarity Clinical Trial”</b></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for COVID-19 treatments, suggested that remdesivir had </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no substantial effect</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on COVID-19 patients’ mortality. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Public health officials continue to do their best to recommend measures, like masks, social-distancing and handwashing, for </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">slowing the spread</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It seems that the ultimate goal of the medical establishment, in its approach to the virus, is the production and dissemination of an effective </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">vaccine</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. However, it’s unclear how quickly we might really be able to return to “normal life” even after the approval and dissemination of a vaccine, as this</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/health/covid-vaccines.html?utm_campaign=Chris%20Kresser%20General%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=97580325&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--jTBAZFeuD0Qog9O9KvOTbTWO3VeqB0f_CQQB5E8iL_Oj7XJS5GPuWUiV1v0NalVOOsMelT_d3v1brLn-ABAoYA_VLbWKSojyUchib1uBh_AenuWA&utm_content=97580325&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">interesting New York Times article</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">points out.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, if you need a dose of cautious COVID-related optimism, here's a <a href="https://www.wnyc.org/story/dose-covid-related-optimism/?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20201020&instance_id=23299&nl=the-morning&regi_id=95436802&section_index=1&section_name=big_story&segment_id=41591&te=1&user_id=a7a0856357dc8f60a0cd4527f3d3f0cc" target="_blank"><b>interview</b></a> with New York Times Science & Health Reporter Donald McNeil, recorded in the context of the current autumn surge.</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How Much Does Western Medicine Consider the Immune System?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Practitioners of holistic/alternative systems of medicine are often quick to point out that, in its search to understand the COVID-19 virus and develop a medical cure and a vaccine, the western medical establishment directs little attention at the body’s innate capacity to resist infection, or to its capacity to successfully fight off the viral infection if a patient is unfortunate enough to contract the virus. That is, the western medical establishment tends to pay a lot less attention to the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">immune system of the human host</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in comparison to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nature of the pathogen</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What About Our “Collective Immunity” as a Society? Or “Economic Immunity”?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The question of social vulnerability, fortunately, is receiving somewhat more attention from social scientists, public health researchers and journalists. Why have some segments of our society, namely Black, Latino, Native and poor and front-line worker communities, been so disproportionately affected by COVID in comparison to White & affluent folks? At this point, in late 2020, evidence also is also emerging that non-COVID-related death rates among people of color have also increased disproportionately, in relation to white or to total population, this year. You don’t have to search far for analyses of these trends: Here’s one </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/06/16/race-gaps-in-covid-19-deaths-are-even-bigger-than-they-appear/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">article</a> from Brookings. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/23/914427907/as-pandemic-deaths-add-up-racial-disparities-persist-and-in-some-cases-worsen" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">another</a> from NPR.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why has the pandemic had such a devastating effect on our economic systems, with some segments of the economy and workers being much more hard-hit than others?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to taking a holistic approach to augmenting the immunity of our individual bodies, might we not begin to think about a truly inclusive </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“social immunity,”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as we recover and rebuild after this pandemic? Will we institute programs to promote more broad-based </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">economic resilience</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Should We “Fear” the Virus?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">President Donald Trump emerged from his own infection with the COVID-19 virus saying, essentially: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t fear the virus.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It’s no big deal. It’s not worse than the seasonal flu. “Don’t let it disrupt your life.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I’m going to assume most people reading this will see this merely as part of the ongoing stream of irresponsible, callous and narcissistic gestures that masquerade as leadership from this administration. It is regrettable that this president, who was flown to Walter Reed Hospital in a private helicopter and received every available cutting edge medical therapy, failed to express empathy for the thousands of families who have suffered & lost loved ones to COVID, none of whom had access to the health care services that he did. It is also regrettable that he perpetuated a narrative of toughness and machismo, based on lies and mistruths.</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An Epidemic of Fear?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interestingly, during these pandemic months, I have also occasionally heard this line: “Don’t fear the virus,” coming from some folks of the holistic/alternative health community. Some segments of the holistic health community have tended to downplay concerns about COVID-19, saying something like, “What we are really facing is an epidemic of fear.” We shouldn’t let fear control us. We should understand that, if we tend to our individual health, our immune systems can be strong enough, tough enough, to “handle” this virus.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On one hand, I resonate with the spirit of this assertion. There truly is a lot we can do to improve our bodies’ capacities to fight off, or process, viral infection (from exercise, to sleep and rest, to eating good foods, to spending time outdoors, to getting acupuncture treatments, to using herbal medicine to fine-tune our body’s physiological function, etc.) See, for example, my article from March 2020, </span><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2020/03/staying-healthy-sane-during-pandemic.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Staying Healthy (and Sane) During the Pandemic</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Also, I can acknowledge the subtle & not-so-subtle effects of daily anxiety about the virus in myself and my family, like how hard & scary it becomes to leave the house, and how unnatural human contact feels, after sheltering in place for several weeks at a time.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand, I feel uncomfortable with this “epidemic of fear” rhetoric. Taken to an extreme, it can make people feel embarrassed and ashamed about taking precautions that are actually life-saveing, like wearing masks, social-distancing, etc. We are not all equally equipped to “handle” this virus. Some of us have pre-existing conditions. Some of us are in high-risk categories. Some of us live with and care for elderly and sick family and community members. The inequities in living conditions and access to health care are deep and multi-generational. It’s just not appropriate for anyone to dictate, or critique, someone else’s response to this virus.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps some of the best outcomes that we can hope for, once we get on the other side of this pandemic, are, first, that we grieve our losses and the shortcomings of our public responses to the virus, including the lack of national leadership on issues related to the pandemic. Then, perhaps we will learn more about our vulnerabilities as a society, and enact policies and programs, build community networks and organizations, to better equalize the risks we face and support the most vulnerable in our society. Perhaps we can improve our “immune health” collectively, not just individually.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A first step for this moment is to VOTE in the November 2020 election. :-)</span></p></span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-61091991964313662742020-04-14T12:46:00.000-07:002020-04-14T14:05:56.414-07:00Analysis of One Chinese Herb Formula Used to Treat Early-Stage COVID-19 InfectionChinese herbal medicine has been used effectively in China during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent infection, mitigate the severity of symptoms and slow disease progression.<br />
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One of the best reports I’ve heard has come from US-born herbalist and practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, <b><a href="http://passiflora-press.com/" target="_blank">Thomas Avery Garran, PhD</a></b>. Garran is currently living in Beijing, pursuing graduate work in pharmacology of herbs. He has been working with a team of translators in China to make available protocols being used in Chinese hospitals for infectious disease management at different stages of the COVID-19 disease progression. I want to share some of what I learned from Mr. Garran through a seminar which took place on April 4, 2020, presented by the good folks at the Oakland-based herbal pharmacy, <b><a href="https://www.fiveflavorsherbs.com/" target="_blank">Five Flavors Herbs</a></b>.<br />
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<i>Please note: I’m sharing these ideas for educational purposes only, to advocate for the skillful application of Chinese medicine. Please do not self-prescribe Chinese herbs unless you are a licensed professional. If you are interested in taking Chinese herbs for a medical condition, please consult with a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner.</i><br />
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Chinese herbs are not traditionally selected based on their efficacy in killing viruses. And there is certainly not a one-size-fits-all formula to treat or prevent coronaviruses. Chinese herbal formulas are constructed on the basis of pattern diagnosis, in order to optimize the body’s ability to fight the virus and recover. (For more about the construction of Chinese herbal formulas, <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-herbal-formulas-are-built-in.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.)<br />
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To construct a formula for a COVID-19 patient, we need to take into account the details of his or her symptoms and select herbs based on the presenting symptom-pattern. <b><i>So, what symptom-patterns are we seeing in COVID-19 patients?</i></b><br />
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<b><u>Damp-Phlegm and Toxic Heat as a Key Diagnostic Features:</u></b><br />
Thomas Avery Garran reports from China that the typical symptoms of hospitalized patients in the early stages of infection (pre-pneumonia) in Hubei Province (the Province where Wuhan is located and where COVID-19 originated) are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Fever (in some cases, not all)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeJzgbg9JV82CqEnLTo6vkeRGJ0Bg8NFHqBURPWGkt6pZyuotxNsmjRikJg9cKF2stEijmbtv81E_tiRBZOW8TwInaUroDGo7TSlreWcK5vvjFX_fb8vqzrdqj5YzlOGef0thvANEnVM/s1600/330px-Illu_bronchi_lungs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="329" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeJzgbg9JV82CqEnLTo6vkeRGJ0Bg8NFHqBURPWGkt6pZyuotxNsmjRikJg9cKF2stEijmbtv81E_tiRBZOW8TwInaUroDGo7TSlreWcK5vvjFX_fb8vqzrdqj5YzlOGef0thvANEnVM/s320/330px-Illu_bronchi_lungs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy of Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>Fatigue</li>
<li>Sore Muscles</li>
<li>Heavy Feeling in the Body</li>
<li>Poor Appetite</li>
<li>Loose Stools</li>
<li>Cough (most, not all)</li>
<li>Chest Pressure</li>
<li>Panting, Urgent Breathing</li>
<li>Greasy Coating on the Tongue. </li>
</ul>
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In Chinese medicine theory, the dominant pattern in this set of symptoms is <b>Dampness </b>and<b> Phlegm</b>. (I will capitalize words like Dampness, Phlegm, when they represent concepts in Chinese medicine theory.) Dampness & Phlegm account for fatigue, muscle soreness, subjective heavy feeling, poor appetite, loose stools, chest pressure, difficult breathing and a greasy tongue coating.<br />
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A further verification of a Phlegm-based diagnosis comes, sadly, from the autopsies of patients who did not survive COVID-19 infection. Garran reports that Chinese physicians, observing the lung tissue of deceased COVID-19 patients, found the alveoli caked with thick phlegm (what is being called ground-glass opacity seen in CT scans of the lungs.) It is this phlegm that causes suffocation during advanced stages of COVID-19 infection, by preventing absorption of oxygen through the lung tissue. Some of the difficulty that has arisen in putting COVID-19 patients on ventilators, in fact, seems to come from this accumulation of phlegm around the alveoli.<br />
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Based on these observations, Chinese herbal physicians in China concluded that to mitigate symptoms of COVID-19 and slow disease progression, it was imperative to stop or slow the production of Phlegm in the body. In Chinese medicine theory, Dampness is the result of a weak Spleen (roughly equivalent to poor digestion.) Dampness, especially in the company of Heat, tends to congeal into Phlegm. There is a saying the Dampness (as a pathogenic factor) is produced by the Spleen and stored in the Lung. The treatment principles employed to decrease Dampness are to Support the Spleen and Aromatically Transform Dampness. <br />
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The fact that digestive symptoms like poor appetite, loose stools, diarrhea and loss of appetite often accompany the early stages of COVID-19 infection supports the idea that Spleen weakness and Dampness are part of the diagnostic picture of COVID-19, and that support for the Spleen must be part of the treatment.<br />
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In addition to supporting the Spleen and transforming Dampness and Phlegm, Garran says, it is important to “give the Phlegm a place to go.” This means we need to use herbs that will loosen the Phlegm in the chest and allow it to be expelled or expectorated.<br />
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An important note is that, in early stages of COVID-19 infection, <i>cough should not be suppressed</i>. So we don’t want to use herbal Lung astringents or over-the-counter pharmaceutical cough suppressants. We want to <i>loosen the phlegm</i> in the chest and actually <i>encourage coughing,</i> thereby allowing the phlegm to be coughed out of the lungs. (At later stages of COVID-19, when the patient is more debilitated, however, there may be a need to suppress cough.)<br />
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The idea that COVID-19 infections tend to be characterized by Phlegm & Dampness has been a little confusing to western audiences, since many of us have heard that one of the symptoms of the illness is a <i>dry</i> cough. Garran clarifies that even if the cough is dry, there is still a lot of very sticky, difficult-to-expectorate phlegm coating the insides of the lungs. (This appears to be generally true, though individual cases will vary depending on patient’s constitution, surrounding climate, etc.)<br />
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In addition to <b>Dampness </b>&<b> Phlegm</b>, Garran states that <b>Toxic</b> /<b>Pathogenic Heat</b> is also a diagnostic pattern typically seen in COVID-19 patients in China (as opposed to cold damp-phlegm.)<br />
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Finally, in terms of Chinese medicine theory, Garran observes that the COVID-19 virus is very aggressive and quick-moving. Symptoms of infection change rapidly. From a Chinese Medicine "levels-of-infection" perspective (more about that in <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2020/04/roots-of-chinese-medicine-strategies.html" target="_blank">this article</a>), the virus is said to initially penetrate the <b>exterior defenses </b>or <b>Wei Qi</b>, then move to the organ level where it constrains the <b>Lung</b> and what we call the <b>Middle Burner</b> (or the <b>Spleen/Stomach/</b>digestive organs.) This is where the skillful application of herbs comes in: to slow the progression of the virus from initial to more severe stages.<br />
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<u><b>Herbal Formula for Initial-Onset Stage of COVID-19 Infection from Hubei Province, China:</b></u><br />
To illustrate how Chinese herbs are used to combat COVID-19, I’ll share an analysis of a formula being used in hospitals in Hubei Province, China, to treat patients at the early-onset stage of infection. I do this to share information about the <b>beauty</b> and<b> sophistication</b> of Chinese herbal medicine. <i>Again, if you are not a trained herbalist, please do not self-prescribe. Please consult with a licensed practitioner if you’re interested in herbs for prevention or treatment.</i><br />
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A typical pattern observed in Hubei Province in early-stage COVID-19 patients has been Pathogenic Heat Toxin Penetrating the Exterior and Entering the Lung. As it attacks the Lung, the the pathogenic toxin has qualities of heat and constraint, i.e. it hampers free circulation of Qi. The formula being applied for this condition is a modification of a classic formula called <b><i>Chai Ge Jie Ji Tang</i></b>, or <b>“Bupleurum and Kudzu Decoction to Release the Muscle Layer.”</b> The formula has its origins in the <b><i>Shang Han Lun</i></b>, or <b><i>Treatise on Cold-Induced Disorders</i></b>, compiled during a period of frequent epidemics in the the Late Han Dynasty period in China. (For more information, click <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2020/04/roots-of-chinese-medicine-strategies.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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The herbs used in this formula modification are:<br />
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<i>(I will list both the Chinese pin yin name and the Latin or common botanical name.)</i><br />
<ul>
<li><i>Chai hu </i>/ bupleurum root</li>
<li><i>Ge gen </i>/puerariae root (aka kudzu)</li>
<li><i>Qiang huo </i>/ Notopterygii root & rhizome</li>
<li><i>Du huo </i>/ Angelicae pubescentis rhizome</li>
<li><i>Gan cao </i>/ Radix glycyrrhizae Uralensis (aka raw licorice root)</li>
<li><i>Shi gao </i>/ gypsum (calcium sulfate)</li>
<li><i>Lian qiao </i>/ forsythia fruit</li>
<li><i>Ban lan gen </i>/ isatis root</li>
<li><i>Huang qin </i>/ Scutellariae baicalensis root</li>
<li><i>Xuan shen </i>/ Scrophulariae ningpoensis root</li>
<li><i>Bai shao </i>/ white peony root</li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jOuwfr3SFSjxjF5qb1sY96LXkAF8H6ADSlzIhF_6LFKYf6-414Udb-mM30Cl7EwOYndS8sn0fK2wf1toTqzu7mPjvuzxjKPkLVljJ6vshMWKnuDN1-7qC-ybyCP2S1Ll-yL_JQyAWlQ/s1600/chaihu_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="625" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jOuwfr3SFSjxjF5qb1sY96LXkAF8H6ADSlzIhF_6LFKYf6-414Udb-mM30Cl7EwOYndS8sn0fK2wf1toTqzu7mPjvuzxjKPkLVljJ6vshMWKnuDN1-7qC-ybyCP2S1Ll-yL_JQyAWlQ/s200/chaihu_lg.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Bupleurum Root<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.sacredlotus.com/go/chinese-herbs/substance/chai-hu-thorowax-root-bupleurum" target="_blank">Sacred Lotus Chinese Herbs</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
There is a Chinese medicine tradition of <b>pairing herbs </b>(known in Chinese as "dui yao") whose qualities work well in synergy and balance one another. This formula is an excellent example of this type of pairing. I'll analyze the herbal constituents in pairs.</div>
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First, let’s look at the the two chief ingredients in the formula: <b>bupleurum</b> and <b>pueraria</b> roots. Both of these herbs are employed in the treatment of colds and flus, at the stage when the pathogen is considered to be at the defensive surface (the <i>Wei</i> level) of the body. Together they open constraints at the surface. They “open the doors,” so to speak, so the pathogen can be kicked out. Both of these ingredients are cool in nature (as opposed to warm herbs that open the surface, like ginger or cinnamon.) They are are used because the COVID-19 virus quickly manifests with heat signs and symptoms. <b>Pueraria</b>’s special quality is that it relieves muscle aches, headache, and back/neck stiffness related to early-stage viral infection. Both herbs relieve fever. <b>Bupleurum</b> particularly addresses alternating fever and chills. As opposed to suppressing fever or suppressing the body’s natural immunity, they open the surface to clear the invading pathogen through the surface level. (In western herbal theory, these herbs would be considered diaphoretics.)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQJ4XFhhe_yWlwdIpMm9DVJjaXYDtQQcoYGBsma9ENkSNqhy19UghicB7s1HCZE4nz8wpP6mZhEBGvdHp69sNCPhudSOHcGRtaQU2VoTmMeP73US6dcyfu0OlRXnwHeNTjAuLBp_gzWc/s1600/kudzu_root_ge_gen_chinese_herbs_bulk_800x.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQJ4XFhhe_yWlwdIpMm9DVJjaXYDtQQcoYGBsma9ENkSNqhy19UghicB7s1HCZE4nz8wpP6mZhEBGvdHp69sNCPhudSOHcGRtaQU2VoTmMeP73US6dcyfu0OlRXnwHeNTjAuLBp_gzWc/s200/kudzu_root_ge_gen_chinese_herbs_bulk_800x.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pueraria Root<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="https://littleflowerherbs.com/products/kudzu-root-ge-gen" target="_blank">Little Flowers</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next pair of herbs to consider are <b>Notopterygii</b> and <b>Angelicae pubescentis</b> roots. These two herbs are especially effective together for pushing out Dampness. Like bupleurum and pueraria, <b>notopterygii</b> and <b>Angelica pubescentis</b> work at the surface/exterior defensive level of the body, but unlike the former two, notopterygii and angelica are warm to effectively dispel cold-dampness. They also helps relieve symptoms like headache, body aches, chills, fever, along with fatigue and a subjective heavy feeling, as is commonly seen in the early stages of COVID-19 infection.<br />
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So far we have <b>bupleurum</b> and <b>pueraria</b>, which are cool and open the surface to expel heat-pathogen. And we have <b>notopterygii</b> and <b>Angelica pubescentis</b> which are chase out dampness. These four herbs work on the surface, defensive layer of the body, opening the doors and expeling damp-pathogen.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp40AJODGIFGoKOsYzThHzIFq64Ye8h8RUGLd95prEittU9e6hwuDRwQgMTNKaBYFgqW_KQs6Z-wejqFArgq11Mbg5FTLerU9yGTYLBUYPFPPEBXA_cBTDs34EvnHQfiGihEmTP0YymRI/s1600/qianghuo_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="625" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp40AJODGIFGoKOsYzThHzIFq64Ye8h8RUGLd95prEittU9e6hwuDRwQgMTNKaBYFgqW_KQs6Z-wejqFArgq11Mbg5FTLerU9yGTYLBUYPFPPEBXA_cBTDs34EvnHQfiGihEmTP0YymRI/s200/qianghuo_lg.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notopterygii<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.sacredlotus.com/go/chinese-herbs/substance/qiang-huo-notopterygium-root" target="_blank">Sacred Lotus</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Because the typical COVID-19 progression is to move from the surface level of the body into the interior, and specifically to attack the Lung and Stomach organs, creating a “constrained heat” quality around the Lung (difficult breathing, wheezing, cough, etc.) and interfering with the digestive process, the next two herbs specifically address heat at the level of the Lung and Stomach organs (no longer at the surface level.) These are <b>gypsum</b> and<b> raw licorice root</b>.<br />
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<b>Gypsum </b>(which is a mineral and has to be cooked longer than the other herbs,) clears Heat from the Lungs and Stomach. It particularly addresses cough and wheezing with fever and thick, viscous Phlegm in the Lungs. <b>Raw licorice</b> is most often used in formulations as a Spleen Qi tonic. But here it is used clear heat toxin from the Lungs, stop cough and wheezing.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr5qeIl9FmHCMyIgaCAP-Y5cV-w1QN9gPrrDz3H427qnLJokWOYQEof9BulHZlHJo-mo6oAR9h0Di7Wqz6G55EK9xgbocm8RXhTxFcDBZXOqIC0AMuN5PojBnHZfDVjEYFfEfbEAoKs4/s1600/gan-cao-whole_herb_600x563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="600" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr5qeIl9FmHCMyIgaCAP-Y5cV-w1QN9gPrrDz3H427qnLJokWOYQEof9BulHZlHJo-mo6oAR9h0Di7Wqz6G55EK9xgbocm8RXhTxFcDBZXOqIC0AMuN5PojBnHZfDVjEYFfEfbEAoKs4/s200/gan-cao-whole_herb_600x563.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw Licorice Root<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="https://shenclinic.com/products/gan-cao" target="_blank">Shen Clinic</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next pair of herbs, <b>forsythia fruit</b> and <b>isatis root</b>, have yet another function. According to their Chinese medicine classification, these herbs “Clear Toxic Heat.” They are known to have constituents that are particularly effective in fighting virus. ("Anti-viral" is not a particularly traditional consideration in Chinese herbalism, but a nod to modern pharmacological considerations and the virulent nature of the COVID-19 virus.)<br />
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Coming to the end of this list of herbs, <b>Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis</b> also has an affinity for the Lung and Stomach organs. It’s function is to Clear Heat and Dry Dampness. It treats high fever, irritability, thirst, and cough with thick yellow Phlegm, as well as diarrhea or stomach upset due to toxic infection. <b>Scrophularia</b> helps clear Toxic Heat and Transform Phlegm in the Lungs. <b>Scrophularia</b> has a unique quality that while it helps clear Toxic Heat infection, it also has the capacity to nourish Yin. The idea here is that it may help soften and loosen the thick, viscous Phlegm coating the lung surfaces, making the Phlegm easier to expectorate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiRrzggdVjpJWii1cx0NjU-ONZeAL5FGWGdJ1daSDHrP_HSEamdiAnF8BcjRGxLXbhhJ0wccC28GpgSzAoTG4nH7D5gaZw3P3dt5c4-PdmOMLRPKgwlVpV7FW9hkVayqjnKW96WbcOns/s1600/gypsum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="423" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiRrzggdVjpJWii1cx0NjU-ONZeAL5FGWGdJ1daSDHrP_HSEamdiAnF8BcjRGxLXbhhJ0wccC28GpgSzAoTG4nH7D5gaZw3P3dt5c4-PdmOMLRPKgwlVpV7FW9hkVayqjnKW96WbcOns/s200/gypsum.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gypsum<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.herbalshop.com/medicinal-herbs/gypsum-shi-gao/" target="_blank">Herbal Shop</a></td></tr>
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The final group of herbs, <b>white peony root</b>, together with the already mentioned <b>Scrophularia</b> and <b>raw licorice</b>, have a forward-looking quality. Each of these three have a quality of nourishing and moistening. Peony root protects the Yin and Blood of the Liver. <b>Scrophylaria</b> nourishes Yin. <b>Raw licorice</b> moistens tissues, tonifies Qi, harmonizes the herbs in a formula and moderates the harsh effects of other herbs. The primary herbs in this formula have strong anti-infectious, heat-clearing qualities. They are generally meant to be taken short term because they can deplete energies of the body. Also, viral infection tends to damage the Yin and Qi of the body. Fever, while it helps clear infection, can result in lingering dryness, irritability, constipation, etc. The final three herbs help mitigate these negatives to promote long-term recovery.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3cpoIbICfqthciSVmHo6IE_WWENKQjVFACb2Z7JqIjQP58K8kCgCmlJOcQ6r3FC_tAxnehbwjuLLW3tE7htGlPUTmbhCvGl6fWBJ3I77TOluxeYDmLAtryYaDtv24W2uumZi4xx_zw4/s1600/lianqiao_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="625" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3cpoIbICfqthciSVmHo6IE_WWENKQjVFACb2Z7JqIjQP58K8kCgCmlJOcQ6r3FC_tAxnehbwjuLLW3tE7htGlPUTmbhCvGl6fWBJ3I77TOluxeYDmLAtryYaDtv24W2uumZi4xx_zw4/s200/lianqiao_lg.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forsythia Fruit<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.sacredlotus.com/go/chinese-herbs/substance/lian-qiao-forsythia-fruit" target="_blank">Sacred Lotus</a></td></tr>
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On a final note, the traditional form of this formula, <b>Chai Ge Jie Ji Tang</b>, contains <b>Jie geng</b>, or <b>Radix Platycodi Grandiflori</b> as a significant ingredient. Platycodon root is regularly used in Chinese medicine to open the Lung, treat cough and clear Phlegm. Why is it not favored in treating early-stage COVID-19 patients? Thomas Avery Garran proposes that it is not used because it suppresses cough. As mentioned before, we do not want to suppress cough, rather we want to open the Lung, loosen Phlegm and allow it to be coughed out.<br />
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Keep in mind that this is only one of many formulas being used to treat COVID-19 patients, in China, at an early stage. I wanted to describe it as an example of the nuanced way Chinese herbs are used in formulas. If you are interested in using Chinese herbs in the context of the pandemic, please consult a licensed Chinese herbalist.</div>
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If time allows, in the coming days, I'll share some notes about formulas for prevention of COVID-19 infection, as well as for later stages of infection and recovery phase. In the mean time: Stay safe! Stay healthy! Let's get through this!</div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-53101690096782078402020-04-13T17:40:00.002-07:002020-04-14T13:46:01.098-07:00How Herbal Formulas are Built in Traditional Chinese MedicineI want to share a bit about some of the traditional Chinese herbal formulas being used to treat COVID-19 patients. But before I do that, I'd like to provide a little insight into how herbs are selected and combined to make formulas in Traditional Chinese Medicine.<br />
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In both eastern and western herbal medicine systems, it’s fairly rare for an herbalist to prescribe only one herb at a time (except under very particular circumstances.) Herbs are generally considered to work most effectively in synergy, i.e. in combination with other herbs.<br />
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In the course of the 2000+ year evolution of traditional Chinese herbalism, practitioners have developed a sophisticated system for combining herbs into formulas.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Herbal Formulas Based On Pattern Diagnosis:</b><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
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One feature of Chinese herbal formula-construction is that it is based on Chinese medicine’s unique system of diagnosis. In Chinese medicine, patients are diagnosed based on constitutional tendencies and symptom patterns. Treatment methods and strategies are based on traditional descriptions of symptom patterns. Herbal choices and formula combinations are, in turn, based on this pattern-based differential diagnosis.<br />
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One thing this means is that herbs are generally not selected to chase symptoms. In an infectious disease scenario, herbs are not selected primarily with the intent to “kill the virus.” Rather herbal combinations are used to optimize a patient’s physiological function and improve their ability to rid the virus from their body.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>"Hierarchy" of Ingredients:</b></span><br />
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Another special feature of Chinese herbal formulas is that the herbal constituents, rather than being thrown together together haphazardly, are organized according to particular organizing principles. The metaphoric for an herbal is the imperial court (a relevant metaphor in ancient Chinese society.) Each herb in a formula falls into one of four categories symbolizing members of the court:<br />
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<li><b>The Chief Herb </b>(aka the king or emperor): This is the ingredient that is directed against, or has the greatest effect on, the patient’s principal pattern or disease. This ingredient is indispensable to the formula.</li>
<li><b>The Deputy Herb(s)</b> (aka, minister or associate): This ingredient can have one of two functions: 1) aids the chief ingredient in treating the principal pattern or disease; or 2) serves as the main ingredient directed against a co-existing pattern or disease.</li>
<li><b>The Assistant Herb(s)</b>: This ingredient can have one of three different functions: 1) reinforces the effect of the chief or deputy ingredients, or directly treats a less important aspect of the pattern or disease; 2) moderates or eliminates the toxicity of other ingredients or moderates their harsh properties; or 3) has an effect that is opposite of that of the chief ingredient and is used in very serious and complex disorders.</li>
<li><b>The Enjoy Herb(s)</b> (aka messenger or guide): Can have one of two different functions: 1) focuses the actions of the formula on a certain channel or area of the body; or 2) harmonizes and integrates the actions of the other ingredients.</li>
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Source: Bensky, Dan and Barolet, Randall. <i>Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies.</i></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-79430552695757565452020-04-13T17:17:00.000-07:002020-04-13T17:43:57.178-07:00Roots of Chinese Medicine Strategies for the Treatment of Infectious Disease<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7p_LYCMv9rjhjGr0KfOdC4wx1P_YehJlcjll_Z8NewFVHEUBLCcQnIgDnVBVfBFbQXPfO4lGFHSW5rh4IhwANxteFpZEebT08RRt-y3y6FruF_zYLzGo2NG7IQYo6ZFCATapJv0zEqo/s1600/Chinese_woodcut%252C_Famous_medical_figures%253B_Zhang_Zhongjing_Wellcome_L0039319.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7p_LYCMv9rjhjGr0KfOdC4wx1P_YehJlcjll_Z8NewFVHEUBLCcQnIgDnVBVfBFbQXPfO4lGFHSW5rh4IhwANxteFpZEebT08RRt-y3y6FruF_zYLzGo2NG7IQYo6ZFCATapJv0zEqo/s200/Chinese_woodcut%252C_Famous_medical_figures%253B_Zhang_Zhongjing_Wellcome_L0039319.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Physician Zhang Zhong-Jing<br />
Photo CreditWikipedia</td></tr>
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Chinese medicine is a valuable resource in context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Herbal strategies for addressing infectious disease have been refined over the course of 2000 years, and have been particularly influenced by historical epidemics.<br />
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The first significant textbook of herbal formulas was written by the famous doctor <b>Zhang Zhong-Jing</b> (150-219 CE.) Zhang lived during the final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when continual war and strife led to the outbreak of many epidemics. Zhang lost two-thirds of his family members, the majority of them to infectious diseases. He dedicated his life to distilling a formulary for every stage of infectious disease. These formulas are detailed in the classic Chinese medicine text <i style="font-weight: bold;">Discussion of Cold-Induced Disorders</i>,<b> </b>or <i style="font-weight: bold;">Shang Han Lun</i>.<br />
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Later, in the Ming Dynasty (14th-19th centuries,) the introduction of western diseases such as mumps and measles was a catalyst to revising Zhang’s formulas to effectively treat these new epidemics. The foremost physicians credited with these revisions were early 18th century physician <b>Ye Tian-Shi</b>, and late 18th century physician <b>Wu Ju-Tong</b>, whose work culminated in the medical text <i><b>Systemic Differentiation of Warm Diseases</b>, </i>or<i> <b>Wen Bing Tiao Bian</b></i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEQ6U49pLkYctijrMdAC33bs7-hDH11fKnYwkN_B2JgeVzXmbE4MqE56XBtt-4ritmDhegz5yNCOCZ_TfTNf7swwFNgIi2NE1Ke5DpAniNb96SCHCxy1l7vK1IQn7z7pd1XtjRNAwymI/s1600/Ye+Tian-shi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEQ6U49pLkYctijrMdAC33bs7-hDH11fKnYwkN_B2JgeVzXmbE4MqE56XBtt-4ritmDhegz5yNCOCZ_TfTNf7swwFNgIi2NE1Ke5DpAniNb96SCHCxy1l7vK1IQn7z7pd1XtjRNAwymI/s200/Ye+Tian-shi.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ming Dynasty Physician Ye Tian-Shi<br />
Photo Credit <a href="http://www.itmonline.org/" target="_blank">http://www.itmonline.org/ </a></td></tr>
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Modern-day practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine draw heavily on theories laid out in both the <b><i>Shang Han Lun</i></b> and the <b><i>Wen Bing</i></b> when treating colds, flus and epidemics, including the earlier coronaviruses SARS and MERS.<br />
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One notable feature of these texts is that they both outline a specific <b>progression of stages</b> by which infectious disease enters and overtakes the human body. In the case of the earlier Shang Han, or cold-induced disorders, infection was considered to progress through <b>six stages</b>: three external (or yang) stages and three internal (or yin) stages. Specific formulas (or formula variations) are employed at each level, with the goal of keeping the infection on the outside (yang, energetic, defensive or muscular) of the body and preventing it from becoming more serious and penetrating to the interior (yin organs). Similarly, later in history, the Wen Bing, or warm disease school, built on earlier ideas and outlined a<b> four-stage progression</b> whereby infectious disease progresses from exterior to deeper layers of the body. The Wen Bing school, in the 18th century, was also the first in China to clarify an understanding that<b> infectious disease pathogens spread from person to person</b>.<br />
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In the United States, obviously, patients in advanced, severe stages of COVID-19 infection are treated in the hospital for pneumonia, put on ventilators, etc. These patients are generally not receiving herbal treatment. However,<b> Chinese herbalists in the United States can draw on the rich formulary developed over 2,000 years to effectively prevent viral infection and mitigate symptoms during earlier stages of infection.</b><br />
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Sources:<br />
Bensky, Dan & Barolet, Randall. <i>Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies.</i><br />
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Mitchell, Craig; Ye, Feng & Wiseman, Nigel, ed. <i>Shang Han Lun: On Cold Damage, Translation & Commentaries.</i></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-53536926016434729372020-04-13T16:37:00.002-07:002020-04-13T16:43:12.725-07:00COVID-19 Check-In & Some Notes on the Usefulness of Herbal Medicine during the Pandemic<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dear Acupuncture Patients,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s Monday, April 13, 2020. We’re about one month into our Shelter-in-Place period in Berkeley. After an initial couple of weeks of shock, grief and confusion, I’ve personally settled into a more comfortable Shelter-in-Place daily routine. How are things with you? What have you been up to in these weeks?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The pandemic continues to evolve. At this time, the<a href="https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6"> COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)</a> tells us that there have been nearly 2 million cases of COVID-19 confirmed worldwide with nearly 119,000 total deaths. The United States now leads the world with a number of confirmed cases that is nearing 600,000, with over 23,000 deaths from COVID-19. It is truly a difficult, uncertain and horrifying time in many ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the past few weeks, I’ve spent time studying reports on herbal protocols that have been used in China to prevent and treat COVID-19 and wanted to share some of what I’ve been learning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Chinese Herbal Formulas for Prevention & Mitigation of COVID-19:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In China, many COVID-19 patients (some reports say over 85%) are treated using both western and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concurrently. As a result, the most experienced teachers and practitioners of Chinese medicine have accumulated information over the past few months about the nature, course and common presentations of COVID-19 infection, as well as herbal strategies needed for different stages of the disease. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chinese medicine is very effective in the early stages of the virus, before pneumonia. It is useful in preventing infection and, if infection occurs, mitigating progression of the disease from early stages (cold- or flu-like symptoms) to later stages (pneumonia.) Most patients, around 80%, who contract COVID-19, do not develop severe cases. They do not have to go to the hospital because their immune systems are strong enough to prevent the virus from overtaking the body’s defenses. These luckier patients ultimately clear the virus from their bodies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Traditionally, in infectious disease scenarios, Chinese medicine does not have the strategy of killing the virus (or infectious pathogen.) Rather, it works to strengthen the host by modulating the patient’s immune response, so that, in the case of coronavirus, the body doesn’t spiral into a cytokine storm. In other words, Chinese herbal formulas can support the patient’s body to effectively combat and clear the virus before the illness enters more severe stages. Chinese herbs can also help clear lingering symptoms and rebuild the body’s strength during the recovery process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, while herbal medicine is not being used in the United States at this time at the frontlines in the treatment of severe cases of COVID-19, herbs have a potentially important role to play in our local efforts to confront the pandemic. Herbs and natural medicine are a tool among many for slowing the spread of the virus, decreasing the burden on the medical system, and flattening the curve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This may be a good time for you to consult an herbalist if: </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you are interested in strengthening your immunity in order to better resist the current virus,</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you’ve been feeling anxious,</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">your digestion has been off, or</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you’ve had trouble sleeping.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Supporting the balance and integrity of your body systems, particularly your digestive and nervous systems, with herbal medicine is a great way to improve immunity, resilience and the capacity to recover.</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-53671932905332668172020-03-29T18:51:00.001-07:002020-03-30T11:11:02.605-07:00Staying Healthy (& Sane) During the Pandemic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a lot of interesting news coming out of China currently about how <b>Traditional Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are being used to support the treatment of COVID-19. </b>For example, this <a href="https://classicalchinesemedicine.org/role-chinese-medicine-covid-19-epidemic/?fbclid=IwAR2vS0s86OGIbKFSlVMu-tM99WjJzW9L7FT0CaLO08GRIWLt9J17QFhn5LI" target="_blank">article</a> just showed up in my inbox today. I'm trying to wade through articles like this and learn as much as I can.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But before saying more about how Chinese medicine is being used to address COVID-19, it makes sense for me to take a step back and write out some <b>general holistic health advice</b> that might help folks stay healthy during this challenging time.</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing I love about holistic medicine traditions, be they Traditional Chinese Medicine, western herbalism, etc., is the recognition that pharmaceutical medicine and even herbal medicine are <i>heroic interventions.</i></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course we should utilize medical interventions when we need to. They are often life-saving. And of course we are all eager for wider availability of diagnostic testing, the development of a vaccine, advancement in the medical treatment of COVID-19, and a better public health response than we are currently seeing.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippbo-_sPHmPVAQY8jk2eXQKZtubMErcDjcestf8kIiSlzzRXzuJBYJ1PQAqD18MV0o0y__fuTOCG_9ax4nntXjX6OqeqeCCJFhm6OIGlezQCfA3Kl0SQJa0_tf8dFUBtn48sjiR-fA10/s1600/Stay-Aware-Fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippbo-_sPHmPVAQY8jk2eXQKZtubMErcDjcestf8kIiSlzzRXzuJBYJ1PQAqD18MV0o0y__fuTOCG_9ax4nntXjX6OqeqeCCJFhm6OIGlezQCfA3Kl0SQJa0_tf8dFUBtn48sjiR-fA10/s200/Stay-Aware-Fox.jpg" width="170" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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But, while we wait for these medical & public health developments, there are things we can do to bolster our immune health so that our bodies can mount a stronger general response if and when we do come into contact with the virus. Because there is no vaccine, and because none of us have been exposed to the novel coronavirus before, we are relying on our immune systems to overcome the virus and hoping that our immune response will overpower the virus before the illness enters more advanced stages.</div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Holistic medicine traditions teach us that lifestyle choices are more fundamental to our baseline health than medical or herbal intervention. And we might say that the pillars of this foundation are:</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 1) rest, 2) movement,</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 3) nourishment.</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, let’s talk about some ways we might boost our immune-health during the current viral pandemic by ensuring we’re getting some quality </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rest, movement & nourishment</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> every day.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under the shelter-in-place mandates, many of us have some more time on our hands. Despite the sheer difficulty of this moment, perhaps we can integrate a few health-supporting practices into our daily routines. Remember, though, change is hard, and we’re all going through massive amounts of adjustment and information-overload during these pandemic weeks. So, be gentle with yourselves. Baby steps are ok.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">____________________________</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, a few quick words of disclaimer:</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> There have been no human trials for any integrative approaches to reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19 or for reducing symptoms once a person is infected.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkdGsO7NzO5_fbxbUbsi_4ORWwGFnT-ZGsnVCjFt5b-W0d103TMC85t_Y7F2iPU1EBJuitGd4bJVHb5zvKc007c9odPuUMTZDH-ZYADdvm2Q5MH77lhqSyp_dVH0pVlMn-20Gi82zTO4/s1600/Wash-frequently-Monarch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkdGsO7NzO5_fbxbUbsi_4ORWwGFnT-ZGsnVCjFt5b-W0d103TMC85t_Y7F2iPU1EBJuitGd4bJVHb5zvKc007c9odPuUMTZDH-ZYADdvm2Q5MH77lhqSyp_dVH0pVlMn-20Gi82zTO4/s200/Wash-frequently-Monarch.jpg" width="167" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline;">Please follow</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html" target="_blank">CDC Guidelines for protecting yourself against infection</a></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, such as frequent handwashing, social and physical distancing, staying home when sick, and daily cleaning and disinfecting of frequently-touched surfaces. And for<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html" target="_blank"> what to do if you think you're sick</a>.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, please realize that the following are tips you can try at home, but don't constitute medical advice. For complex medical conditions, please consult with a credentialed practitioner.</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next, here are a few theoretical ideas from Traditional Chinese Medicine to guide our consideration of immune health:</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wei Qi</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or defensive Qi, is what prevents disease processes from entering our bodies and taking hold. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wei Qi </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is produced by a combination of the air we breathe and the nutrients we absorb from food. To have strong immunity, we want to optimize lung function, oxygen circulation, digestion and nutrition.</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of the information coming from Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners treating COVID-19 patients in Chinese hospitals points to the coronavirus being a </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">damp </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pathogen. In Chinese medicine, dampness is a by-product of weak digestion. In Chinese medicine, digestion is governed by the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spleen</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The Spleen is weakened by cold and dampness and loves warmth. So we want to avoid cold food at this time, as well as dampness-producing foods like sweets.</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, the respiratory system needs a healthy amount of moisture to be able to resist infection. When our airways are dry, we’re more vulnerable to infection. One of the ways we become dry is if our </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yin</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is depleted, for example by stress, busy-ness, or heat generated from eating too much junk food.</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From a Chinese medicine perspective, all of the advice that follows, supports healthy <b>Spleen, Lung, and </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wei Qi</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b> function </b>and<b> abundannce of Yin.</b></span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For anyone interested in going deeper into Traditional Chinese Medicine physiological concepts, here are some links to articles I wrote in the past on <a href="https://acustef.blogspot.com/2011/11/autumn-and-lung-in-traditional-chinese.html" target="_blank">the Lung in Chinese Medicine</a>,<a href="https://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/09/chinese-herbalism-spleen-stomach-bit-of.html" target="_blank"> the Spleen in Chinese Medicine</a>, and<a href="https://acustef.blogspot.com/2011/11/tcm-tips-for-autumn-health.html" target="_blank"> immune health</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rest:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline;">Let’s talk first about <b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">rest</b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Rest might really be the </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">most</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> important factor in maintaining a strong immune system and/or fighting off infection. During this time, please give yourself permission to rest. It’s really important. </span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please try to</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sleep</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 7-8 hours per night or more if you can. It’s better to go to bed early. Try to be in bed by at least 10:00pm. All natural health systems say that staying up late is taxing and depleting to our bodies and minds. Additionally, eat your final meal of the day several hours before going to bed. Try eating dinner at 4:00 or 5:00pm and even taking a mellow walk after dinner. Your sleep-quality will improve if your body is not working on digesting a complex meal while you are lying down to sleep at night.</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you feel yourself getting sick, going to bed may be the most helpful thing you can do to allow your body to fight off the virus, and hopefully prevent it from progressing to more advanced stages.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re working from home, maybe you have time to take a </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nap</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the afternoon. Allow yourself this time. Rest will also help you process the intense emotions that will emerge for all of us as we watch the pandemic unfold. </span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccad065b-7fff-7658-a1c2-cc5b831b7177"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have trouble sleeping, allow yourself to</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> lie down, close your eyes </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> rest</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, even if you can’t sleep.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yo5JfvjCrnjB9jGvfqTme8iq66hiFi8b04US3Xztez_N36w3p2uxy0SF9E77IxRGX4rPsac4T-rqXRe6q-8p2gwj6fZ1Dxcp8iMEWdh4EWbiussmWz6DdyE1dpaBxfpRqJgt171v7eU/s1600/Accept-Feelings-Doggo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yo5JfvjCrnjB9jGvfqTme8iq66hiFi8b04US3Xztez_N36w3p2uxy0SF9E77IxRGX4rPsac4T-rqXRe6q-8p2gwj6fZ1Dxcp8iMEWdh4EWbiussmWz6DdyE1dpaBxfpRqJgt171v7eU/s200/Accept-Feelings-Doggo.jpg" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, limiting ourselves to only a healthy dose screen time and news media may help us to rest and relax more deeply.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meditation</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can be a form of rest and a tool for managing anxiety.</span><a href="https://www.headspace.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Headspace</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is one great online source that provides simple, non-intimidating, instruction in basic meditation techniques. The</span><a href="https://www.headspace.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">website</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> offers a free two-week trial. You can set the app to do as little as five or ten minutes a day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doing crafts, handiwork, cooking, working on puzzles, playing a musical instrument, singing. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are also forms of meditation. Keeping our hands busy helps refocus that energy that tends to get caught up in worry, rumination, repetitive thoughts, etc. Allow yourself some time to enjoy some of these kinds of activities.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKxqKhUWKOINd4VbiY1t2XFCTkDfca-Q6jb8wySPvBwIYxXqSfEkKJ9XdxqA5s6m6OxQ8koVU-cOKhFzPxQmNti3Vl88LWchEg5-zQ9tIEVEs4r6sNUzYzHywr6t_AMVxwAREQLPNG9E/s1600/Spread-calm-Turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="778" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKxqKhUWKOINd4VbiY1t2XFCTkDfca-Q6jb8wySPvBwIYxXqSfEkKJ9XdxqA5s6m6OxQ8koVU-cOKhFzPxQmNti3Vl88LWchEg5-zQ9tIEVEs4r6sNUzYzHywr6t_AMVxwAREQLPNG9E/s200/Spread-calm-Turtle.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have trouble sleeping, try drinking some</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> herbal tea</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at bedtime. Herbs like chamomile, lemon balm, skullcap, passionflower, California poppy, or oat tops belong to a category of western herbs called </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nervines.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> They help relax the body and calm the nervous system, and are generally quite safe and mild-tasting. Some of these herbs can be found in packaged herbal tea blends or in bulk in local grocery stores.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you need additional support, please consult with me regarding additional support for sleep in the form of Chinese herbal formulas, supplements, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information on sleep, here are some links to article I wrote several years ago on</span><a href="https://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/05/lifestyle-adjustments-to-improve-sleep.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">improving sleep</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/05/put-insomnia-to-rest-with-chinese.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">treating insomnia</span></a><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with Traditional Chinese Medicine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Movement:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re stuck at home under the shelter-in-place mandate, if you’re overwhelmed by news and emotions, it can be hard to find motivation to move. It has, at times, been difficult for me to make myself move in the past couple of weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Movement </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is important. One of the fundamental ideas in Traditional Chinese Medicine is that where there is stagnation in the body, we are more vulnerable to disease, pain or injury. We need to move our Qi & Blood. That means circulation of air through our lungs, circulation of fluid and lymph, movement of blood through all our microcapillaries. Oxygenation and waste-removal to and from all our tissues is essential to providing an optimal environment for all of our cells.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Additionally, from a Chinese Medicine perspective, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spring</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the season where the Liver organ is considered dominant. The Liver, in Chinese medicine thinking, suffers from stagnation, and needs movement to thrive. Movement is especially important at this time of year, as nature emerges from the stillness of winter and begins blossoming and growing. (For further reading, here's a link to an</span><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-liver-in-traditional-chinese.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">article on the Liver</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Traditional Chinese Medicine.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Movement doesn’t mean you need to start a rigorous exercise routine. You do not need to lift weights or run five miles, although some of you already have those practices in place. Just make sure you move your body every day.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, it has been helpful to make myself </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">go outside and take a walk every day</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> during the pandemic. You don’t necessarily have to go to a nature area or regional parks. In fact, we need to avoid crowding into public parks and parking lots. I have gotten solace simply from walking around my neighborhood. Fresh air, sunshine, spring flowers, a change of scenery, appreciating nature even if it’s just the weeds that poke out between the sidewalk cracks, checking in on neighbors, getting a sense of how local businesses are faring. All of these have been healthy parts of my daily walks.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline;">Movement can also take the form of gentle at-home </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yoga, tai qi, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> qi gong </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">practices. Here is a</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqn70lirWKc" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">link to a nice set of qi gong exercises</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> specifically geared toward lung health that British acupuncturist Peter Deadman put online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aside from exercise, there are other ways to promote circulatory movement. You can take a</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hot bath</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or alternate hot and cold water in the shower. You can</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> briskly massage the surface of your skin</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with a </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dry brush</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (available in health food stores) or a </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wash cloth</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. You can </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gua sha </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your skin, which means using a tool to scrape along with the meridian pathways of the body. (Some of your are familiar with gua sha from my clinic.) You can utilize the edge of a spoon to perform gua sha on yourself. Ideally, you scrape in an upward direction (in the direction of the heart) along the insides of your arms & legs and in a downward direction (away from the heart) along the outside surfaces. Don’t forget to gua sha your chest where the lymph vessels drain into the subclavian veins. Bathing and self-massage of the skin will improve circulation of lymph in your body.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another Chinese medicine practice you can do at home is to apply <b>moxibustion (moxa)</b> to the acupuncture point "Leg Three Miles" or Stomach 36 on your lower leg to strengthen your defensive Qi. If interested, ask me. I'll supply you moxa stick & instructions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, returning to the Chinese Medicine theme of Liver, in connection with Springtime & movement: <b>Sour</b> is the flavor that corresponds with Springtime and Liver. To get things moving, to get your lymph, your bile and digestive juices moving, it’s a good time to add a little sour to your diet. Garnish your food with a little <b>sauerkraut</b>. Add a <b>squirt of lemon</b> to your drinking water every day. Drink a small amount of warm water with a squirt of lemon before each meal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nourishment:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, let’s talk about healthy eating. Again, those of us who are sheltering place may have a little extra time to prepare healthier food for ourselves, presuming we’ve figured out how to navigate grocery shopping in the context of pandemic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, there’s a basic list of</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> do’s</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">don’t’s</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or maximize these & minimize those:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Try to minimize intake of foods & drinks that tend to dry you out. That includes </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">caffeine, alcohol </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> carbonated beverages</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Also minimize foods that produce phlegm and dampness or promote inflammation in the body, like </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dairy, refined grains/gluten/flour, fried food </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sugar</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eat regular meals to keep your energy and mood up. But try not to overeat. Give yourself a few hours to digest between your last meal of the day and going to bed. In order to function optimally, your digestive system needs ample time to rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The best things to eat for immune health are </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">warm, cooked foods</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Think </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">soups</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> stews</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Our digestive systems struggle when we load them with cold food. So avoid excessive raw food. Avoid ice cream. Try to eat lots of</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fresh vegetables</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Eat a range of </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">colors</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:<b> beets, radishes, carrots, squash, greens, berries, etc.</b> Fresh vegetables are full of bioflavenoids and anti-oxidants that reduce inflammation in our body and improve our immune response to viruses. Additionally, Spring is a great time to eat young</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> leafy greens</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sprouts</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Consider garnishing your vegetables with fresh </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">culinary herbs</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> like </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">thyme, oregano, sage, basil, garlic, scallions, parsley, cinantro </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fresh ginger</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Make pesto by blending fresh basil or other culinary herbs, olive oil and garlic. All of these herbs stimulate the digestive system and are strongly anti-microbial.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take some time to make </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bone broth</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or buy some from a local market. Drink a bit daily and keep some frozen on hand. It will come in handy if you get sick. You can also make broth from </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mushrooms, seaweeds, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tomatoes</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. <b>Mushrooms</b> are great for reducing excess mucous in the respiratory system. Many types of mushrooms effectively bolster our immune systems to fight bacteria and viruses. In Chinese medicine, we say mushrooms help rid the body of heat toxins. You can easily make mushroom broth by placing (any type of) mushrooms in a large pot, covering them with an ample amount of water, bring the water to a boil and allowing it to simmer until half of the water is gone. At that point, I use an immersion blender to blend the mushrooms into a thick, delicious base for soup.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can make really delicious meals be lightly steaming or pan-frying almost any type of vegetable. Eat your veggies with some type of grain (rice, buckwheat, barley, quinoa, etc.), some broth, a bit of protein like beans, fish, poultry, etc. Garnish your food with fresh culinary herbs. Here's an article I wrote several years ago. Still relevant:</span><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/spring-food-cooking-tips_12.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spring Food & Cooking Tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine.</span></a><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> And here’s a</span><a href="https://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/09/featured-herb-ginger.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> link to an article on ginger</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>If you begin to get sick</b>, you can consume a small amount of <b>fresh, spicy foods</b> every 2-4 hours. These foods include <b>ginger, green onions, horseradish, radish. </b>You can eat these raw, blended into a slurry with olive oil and apple cider vinegar, or boil them for 15 minutes and drink the broth. These fresh spicy foods with help mobilize your immune response. It’s best to take a dose of spicy food, and then go to bed, cover yourself with warm blankets and let yourself sweat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope these tips are helpful to you. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember, consult with a medical professional if you experience symptoms of illness or if you have a complex underlying medical condition. Feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions about using food and herbs to stay healthy at this time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtO4PpQZMgFdFa9Mt1Aw4Z7UVvVehsf6ACGgwbtFS34BWAafxo-PDyojxgRnzzk9dROqexII0XM6FKP23DqQMSyGSx2XW3R4B7kL867TPwpRWuTLkFgX-XvUQtD6ygiE19Uduub6nnzIg/s1600/Limit-exposure-beavers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="800" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtO4PpQZMgFdFa9Mt1Aw4Z7UVvVehsf6ACGgwbtFS34BWAafxo-PDyojxgRnzzk9dROqexII0XM6FKP23DqQMSyGSx2XW3R4B7kL867TPwpRWuTLkFgX-XvUQtD6ygiE19Uduub6nnzIg/s200/Limit-exposure-beavers.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="background-color: white; color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll close with this lovely prose poem by Kitty O'Meara, who expresses what's important much better than I do:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #38761d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.5pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #38761d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.5pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #38761d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.5pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aCo3E7IXdNNdFMXbZmj0-Dd6P_3Aoz1l89aQc73FCeVw4w5SYr8xooKyR72GaVfkX8OtFPMKXA9kPKcjjOaLkqgjoQpLVzuUAsuo8RPr7gdra10W_7i9EaL7kaOAnOdUkATpDMNp4js/s1600/Rest-Cheetah2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aCo3E7IXdNNdFMXbZmj0-Dd6P_3Aoz1l89aQc73FCeVw4w5SYr8xooKyR72GaVfkX8OtFPMKXA9kPKcjjOaLkqgjoQpLVzuUAsuo8RPr7gdra10W_7i9EaL7kaOAnOdUkATpDMNp4js/s320/Rest-Cheetah2.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px;">Art Credit: </span><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" style="color: #771000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11.88px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wishing you health.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take care, stay safe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie</span></div>
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</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-77156301233651511412020-03-25T12:56:00.001-07:002020-03-30T09:00:11.472-07:00<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-0cefc602-7fff-0694-aa7d-a122e105abd9" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Musings of an Acupuncturist in the Time of Coronavirus</span></i></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIdZCTLJ0IsnSwATtets8P0Q_mWtGQPfgtFIVGxXBrwPLvIl3JoJOmPEiBXo3RJzxeZQ_UtVjVm0GmWOnkUozK3vnP2ZIVi7pTrCzEDmqqqIbMe5T-MXeaPxmtf2AGLR9Nmn89Glgj20/s1600/Rest-Cheetah2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIdZCTLJ0IsnSwATtets8P0Q_mWtGQPfgtFIVGxXBrwPLvIl3JoJOmPEiBXo3RJzxeZQ_UtVjVm0GmWOnkUozK3vnP2ZIVi7pTrCzEDmqqqIbMe5T-MXeaPxmtf2AGLR9Nmn89Glgj20/s320/Rest-Cheetah2.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Credit: <a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dear Acupuncture Patients,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s Monday, March 23, 2020. Here in the Bay Area, we have been under a government-mandated shelter-in-place order for nearly ten days. My acupuncture practice ground to a halt just as the shelter-in-place orders came into effect. Given the data on how the COVID-19 virus spreads, it became increasingly unethical for me to maintain a hands-on health practice during this time. In order to slow the rate of virus transmission through our community, to reduce the imminent overwhelm of our medical system, and to save lives, the most important thing for us (who could possibly do it), was to socially-distance ourselves by STAYING AT HOME. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulLwObtZ4al90cQTFhpoJn41Jt9o3IrbOG2WLeVSc5RpbX4jvSFMZe61nzAWd7NNLI3oyC-1XW4RTNnusOj7qq-U_nrj7G9gkjSNeO4a_-ELCGNxYycwut3lez-1KE_Zv5SyzcRPTTQc/s1600/Limit-exposure-beavers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="800" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulLwObtZ4al90cQTFhpoJn41Jt9o3IrbOG2WLeVSc5RpbX4jvSFMZe61nzAWd7NNLI3oyC-1XW4RTNnusOj7qq-U_nrj7G9gkjSNeO4a_-ELCGNxYycwut3lez-1KE_Zv5SyzcRPTTQc/s200/Limit-exposure-beavers.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Credit: <a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a really intense time that we are all going through. The spread of COVID-19 against our like-never-before-globally-interconnected backdrop, its social and economic effects, its health impacts including what's looking more and more like inevitable loss of loved ones--these are unprecedented in our lifetimes. The time we’re living through right now will rank up there with major historic world events like world wars, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How are you doing?</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’m thinking of all my acupuncture patients, and wondering how things are going in your lives. I hope you are staying healthy and safe. I hope you are finding ways to deal with the emotions and overwhelm that will arise as this situation intensifies. I care about you all, miss our interactions, and hope you are managing to navigate this strange time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWn2IaYLZlOWw5Aq8uk4qvTvL5bqE4AyZHRhTZiyiO0UfkC0DsDGO5JSRUUAeMXL3kZ4CKGGfOH0t18sJTmOHx0L2LXj5RYmMdz36Qr_nxgm5QtNRuPK9PdqD2noFBCAMILB8Oq0IUxg/s1600/Check-In-Bears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWn2IaYLZlOWw5Aq8uk4qvTvL5bqE4AyZHRhTZiyiO0UfkC0DsDGO5JSRUUAeMXL3kZ4CKGGfOH0t18sJTmOHx0L2LXj5RYmMdz36Qr_nxgm5QtNRuPK9PdqD2noFBCAMILB8Oq0IUxg/s200/Check-In-Bears.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Art Credit: <a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It has been strange for me to suddenly, in the course of a day or two, stop having face-to-face interactions with my patients. Not to mention, to stop driving my kid around to all her various activities, to stop exchanging chit chat with my kid’s teachers, coaches, friends and their parents. I imagine all of you have experienced similar mammoth shifts in your routines during the past week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been at home with my daughter, leaving the house only for short walks. I’ve been learning some new things, like how to attend an online Zoom meeting or order grocery delivery service through my computer. But mostly, I’ve been re-calibrating. It’s been a time of cozy & sweet moments with my daughter, of rest and reflection, but also a time of sharp emotions: grief, fear, anxiety, confusion… to name a few. It has been something like an unplanned meditation retreat.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilx0iJdzoQgnWPWZK6-Pafl0ttbGP1-y_VKXDf7DgnlJp3H579J0OFXUEvjN2XPiKQRkA1YODD6cnOSmxYKKcumttddqzqJnKlS3tvcVb1VfW-P9WQdzUnPqUG4L6GGZbMXJL_PVAoYQ/s1600/Accept-Feelings-Doggo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilx0iJdzoQgnWPWZK6-Pafl0ttbGP1-y_VKXDf7DgnlJp3H579J0OFXUEvjN2XPiKQRkA1YODD6cnOSmxYKKcumttddqzqJnKlS3tvcVb1VfW-P9WQdzUnPqUG4L6GGZbMXJL_PVAoYQ/s200/Accept-Feelings-Doggo.jpg" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Credit: <a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/free-download-pandemic-animals/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of us are re-calibrating now. Nothing is *normal* at the moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My friend says it is like forty days in the desert, like Ramadan or Lent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this context, I remind you, as I am constantly trying to remind myself, take it easy. Be gentle with yourselves. Stay safe. Take care.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a healthcare professional with a hands-on practice, this is an uncertain time for me. A strange time. Illness is raging through and threatening my community. And the best thing I can do is to sit at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Among my colleagues, there is talk of transforming our practices to encompass tele-health. Honestly, it all seems quite overwhelming to me. It’s all I can do to keep up on a fraction of the COVID-19 newstreams: the latest scientific findings on the new virus, the ever-evolving public health guidelines. Transitioning my acupuncture practice to some sort of online format is quite another challenge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this context, I’ve wondered what I can do to keep somewhat professionally active at this time, and perhaps to be helpful to some of you. For me, it is most natural to start with writing. Ten years ago, before my acupuncture practice got busy, I wrote regular electronic newsletters with articles on topics in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Perhaps I can go back to something like that.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5KpG62hg5BpwolrrWDTslNri12zh-zgI1QaMFwZLFjkh5ewe-LBghf0TxSe3EOTR5EsAk7K-VnJ-V1oldjkRK2twUlAlp4KWu6nC__Evm8fABcW4pzyhhMQoB6jDpr8rDGKjk1r1x5s/s1600/Offer-Support-Elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5KpG62hg5BpwolrrWDTslNri12zh-zgI1QaMFwZLFjkh5ewe-LBghf0TxSe3EOTR5EsAk7K-VnJ-V1oldjkRK2twUlAlp4KWu6nC__Evm8fABcW4pzyhhMQoB6jDpr8rDGKjk1r1x5s/s200/Offer-Support-Elephant.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Credit: <a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/free-download-pandemic-animals/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have been slowly digesting some interesting information coming from China about how Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, (acupuncture and herbs, in particular) have been used during the past few months to support conventional/western medical treatment of COVID-19 patients. As one teacher puts it, there have been over 320 large-scale epidemics in China between the time of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty (approximately 2,000 years.) Some of the most important traditional Chinese medical texts that TCM practitioners draw on today were written in the context of these epidemics. They are studies of</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">diagnosis and herbal treatment of infectious disease processes moving, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">stage-by-stage,</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> through human populations. These works are highly relevant to modern-day viral epidemics, such as the one we are experiencing right now. The knowledge in these texts is being used with good effect in the current pandemic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m hoping to write a series of blog posts on ideas from Traditional Chinese Medicine and herbology relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But before I launch into a bunch of essays and theories, it seems important to take a deep breath, and acknowledge this unprecedented moment that we are all in. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi2i5CMoSKLdk7UlAPhtJl_3kk0pmKDs0T-KmfcsRiv-k60S8KvWNDRPise30tTrvaQPIfPkJ5eiLPFUXpxdopl1I-YC2D1aWa8L1bEZO2NQhhWBbnk4-YLz953AoqcxKlJoUsSvGsMM/s1600/Rest-Cheetah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi2i5CMoSKLdk7UlAPhtJl_3kk0pmKDs0T-KmfcsRiv-k60S8KvWNDRPise30tTrvaQPIfPkJ5eiLPFUXpxdopl1I-YC2D1aWa8L1bEZO2NQhhWBbnk4-YLz953AoqcxKlJoUsSvGsMM/s200/Rest-Cheetah.jpg" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Credit: <a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/free-download-pandemic-animals/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A viral pandemic is at our doorsteps. Our roads and tourist-centers are suddenly quiet. No one is taking plane trips or crossing borders. Most of our schools and many of our workplaces are suddenly empty. Doctors and hospital staff are heroically preparing for the flood. Many of us are on lock-down, sheltering at home.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGemmF6ofKytMf3DGKk1pGEu8oGC-UmJGI2oOkS2ktZ72ZJI_BnKZbflr-cxToqEsTrHdXmRhinVzvRl2BTJzsTMEKRqAFa9ZqtvE1tF3oZTHulBMiqrO0Y5K4Mk6HO8CWJS5qBZJvaE/s1600/Organize-Bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGemmF6ofKytMf3DGKk1pGEu8oGC-UmJGI2oOkS2ktZ72ZJI_BnKZbflr-cxToqEsTrHdXmRhinVzvRl2BTJzsTMEKRqAFa9ZqtvE1tF3oZTHulBMiqrO0Y5K4Mk6HO8CWJS5qBZJvaE/s200/Organize-Bee.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Credit: <a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/free-download-pandemic-animals/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a potentially transformative time, for us as individuals and as a society. No doubt things won’t be the same after we get through this pandemic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In any case, this is a time when much-needed deep rest and re-calibration will be available to many of us, even as we grieve. Maybe tomorrow I’ll write out some suggestions on staying healthy during the pandemic. Maybe the next day I’ll spell out some ideas from Traditional Chinese Medicine. But today I need to rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There have been so many lovely poems & images floating around the internet as we go into this pandemic time apart-together. I’ll close by sharing one of my favorites. Artist/activist Ricardo Levins Morales created this beautiful "What To Do in a Pandemic" poster & has made the images available for free download from his website:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio: What to Do in a Pandemic (Animals)</a></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In moments of discouragement and overwhelm, I keep conjuring these images. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Especially "Accept Your Feelings." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And "Rest."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can't possibly leave you with a better message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Warmly,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>Stephanie</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sources:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chen, John, PhD, PharmD, OMC, LAc. "How Coronavirus is Currently Treated in China." Webinar, March 17, 2020.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/what-to-do-in-a-pandemic/" target="_blank">Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio.</a></span></span></div>
<br style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;" />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-47288083903789684352014-05-09T01:58:00.001-07:002014-06-10T09:45:04.859-07:00Topics in Orthopedic Medicine Series: Part 2 -- How Dry Needling WorksIn my <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2014/05/topics-in-orthopedic-medicine-series.html" target="_blank"><b>last blog post</b></a>, I introduced the concepts of <b>acupuncture </b>and <b>dry needling</b>, comparing & contrasting the two modalities and their roles in treating pain & injury.<br />
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In this article, I'll go into the <b>orthopedic uses </b>and <b>scientific rationale</b> of <b>dry needling</b>. Briefly, dry needling can be used in all sorts of interesting ways to influence soft tissue (ligaments, tendons, muscle and fascia) at a <i>micro-level.</i> It is these <b><i>micro-level effects</i></b> (i.e. on soft tissue structure and tension, on inter-cellular communications, etc.) that make dry needling an effective treatment for pain and injury either <b>on its own, or in conjunction with other modalities of hands-on musculoskeletal therapy</b> such as massage, osteopathic manipulation, neuro-muscular reprogramming, physical therapy, etc.<br />
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(Because the topic of dry-needling can sound intimidating, even invasive, let me take a moment here to talk about how I use needles in an orthopedic context. I love to do a lot of <b>gentle, supportive </b>hands-on therapeutic work with patients dealing with injuries and chronic pain. I use massage to calm a patient's nervous system, relax muscle tension and refine my diagnosis of root causes of pain or injury. I treat these root causes using a combination of manual techniques and acupuncture or dry needling. My work with needles is quite <b>gentle</b>. I appreciate the needles for their ability to create micro-level changes in very specific tissues. My priority is for a patient to feel <b>nourished</b> and <b>supported</b> in the course of their treatment session and for a re-balancing to occur which helps a patient continue to experience a sense of well-being in the days and weeks post treatment.)<br />
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<i>Now</i>... let's move on to a summary of the orthopedic uses and scientific rationale of dry needling.<br />
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First, let's review the general pattern of injury from repetitive strain or acute trauma.<br />
1. Damaged tissues become<b> inflamed</b>, and <b>contracted</b> into a protective, guarded state.<br />
2. Inflammation and contracture inhibit <b>microcirculation</b> in the affected tissue --- meaning that oxygen can't be delivered and waste can't be removed.<br />
3. Inhibited circulation gives rise to the development of <b>scar tissue.</b><br />
4. <b>Fibrotic scarring</b> limits the <b>pliancy</b> of soft tissue, so that it can't lengthen and shorten effectively, giving rise to biomechanical disturbances of gait and function, exacerbating pain-causing dysfunction.<br />
5. Fibrotic scar tissue can <b>compress and irritate nerves</b>, exacerbating pain syndromes.<br />
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So, what are some of the ways dry needling interrupts this cycle of pain and injury?<br />
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<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Dry Needling Relaxes Tense Muscles, Tones Underactive Muscles</span></b></div>
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<b>Tight, shortened, hypertonic muscles</b> are a regular aspect of <b>chronic pain</b>, whether it's related to arthritis, nerve irritation, herniated discs or ligament strains. Shortened muscles tug relentlessly on ligaments, tendons and joints perpetuating pain and dysfunction. The muscles that work <b>antagonistically</b> to chronically tight muscles tend, in turn, to be <b>weak</b>, exacerbating structural imbalance.</div>
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<b>Dry needling</b> creates a stretch of tiny muscle tissues, which in turn promotes muscle relaxation. It can also stimulate nerve activity, in order to "waken" and tone weak, underactive muscle tissue. Some mechanisms whereby dry needling has been shown to affect muscle tissue include:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Stretching muscle tissues stimulates of sensory nerve cells: </b>The gentle rotation of an acupuncture needle in tight muscle tissue tugs and creates a micro-stretch of the muscle fibers. This action seems to stimulate two types of proprioceptive sensory nerve cells -- golgi tendon organs and muscle spindle cells -- resulting in a relaxation of muscle fibers.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Dry needling of muscle motor points/motor end-plate zones causes a micro-twitches of muscle fibers: </b> <b>Motor points</b>, or the point where the motor nerve enters a skeletal muscle, are the most electrically excitable area of the muscle and contain the greatest concentration of nerve endings. Insertion of a needle at a muscle <b>motor point</b> is likely to result in micro-twitches of the muscle (resulting form the depolarization of innervated muscle fiber.) These micro-twitches produce micro-stretch effects on shortened muscle fibers. The micro-stretch induces a relaxation of the muscle.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Dry needling increases blood flow and promotes healing of muscle tissue: </b>Chronic muscle tension and spasm can reduce oxygen and nutrient supply, further decreasing muscle function. As was discussed in the section on tendons and ligaments above, dry needling causes microscopic trauma to soft tissue, setting in motion a cascade of processes that help heal and desensitize the tissue. Micro-bleeding nourishes cells and washes away sensitizing substances. Platelet-derived growth factors facilitate DNA synthesis and stimulate collagen and protein formation. Needling can break up fibrotic scar tissue that has entrapped nerve endings and can replace hyperactive pain receptors with non-painful ones.</li>
</ul>
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As a chronically tight muscle relaxes and heals, it produces less mechanical traction on pain sensitive structures like intramuscular nerves, blood vessels and tendons. It also pulls less on bony joints, decreasing wear and tear of joints and allowing the body to balance itself more efficiently in space. In supporting the rebalancing of antagonistic muscle groups, dry needling be an effective adjunct to manual neuromuscular reprogramming therapies.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Dry Needling Strengthens Ligaments & Tendons</span></b><br />
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<b>Ligament weakness</b> (referred to as <b>laxity</b>) or <b>partial ligament tears</b> are common sources of chronic pain. Joints commonly affected by ligamentous laxity are sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, sacroiliac, pubic symphysis, knees, ankles & sometimes shoulders.</div>
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<b>Tendinosis</b>, <b>chronic degeneration of tendons</b>, and <b>partial ruptures of tendons</b> can also cause chronic pain and dysfunction -- common in shoulder, wrist, elbow and heel. Chronic tendinopathy can be marked by repeated cycles of re-injury, aborted healing processes, scar tissue and inflammation.</div>
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<b>Ligaments</b> and <b>tendons</b> are relatively poorly vascularized, slow to heal from injury and, thus, commonly involved in chronic pain syndromes and persistent slow-to-heal injury patterns.</div>
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<b>Dry needling</b> can be used to <b>strengthen tendons and ligaments</b> by creating micro-injuries to the tissue, thereby inducing a local inflammatory reaction. Researchers believe dry needling can promote beneficial bleeding, opening up new channels through degenerated soft tissue. The mechanical disruption brought about by the introduction of a needle can transform a failed/aborted healing process into a therapeutic healing process. Basically, the mechanical micro-trauma caused by needling sets off a cascade of inflammatory processes:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Immune factors enter the area to break down and clear away scar tissue.</li>
<li>Blood cells, plasma, platelets and growth factors permeate poorly-vascularized tissue.</li>
<li>Fibroblasts generate collagen and elastic fibers, adding strength to the connective tissue.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. </b><b> Dry Needling Can Influence the Nervous System to Relieve Pain</b></span></div>
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Dry needling may affect neurotransmitter activity and spinal reflexes, alleviating pain perception locally or segmentally (anatomical regions innervated by spinal nerve segments.) Periosteal needling techniques (needling soft tissue attachments to bone) can regulate sympathetic nerve fibers around the periosteum, increasing blood circulation to the area.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Dry Needling Can Regulate Fascia</span></b></div>
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Research has shown a correspondence between major acupuncture points and sites of convergence of plains in the network of fascia, the soft connective tissue that permeates the entire body. Fascia is currently being studied with increasing interest for its role in providing stability, tensegrity, communication and integration of the whole body. Acupuncture and dry-needling have mechanical and electrical affects on fascia, regulating tensegrity throughout the body.<br />
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Dry needling produces an affect on fascia similar to its affect on muscles and tendons. An inserted needle grasps and twists the soft tissue in a gentle manner creating a whorl of tissue around the needle. It thereby alters tension at critical junctions of the connective tissue network that supports the body. Research also shows that needling promotes particular electrical affects between nerves and surrounding ground substances and between inner and outer epidermal layers of the tissue, affecting inter-cellular communication and ultimately levels of tension at connective tissue trusses.<br />
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In conclusion, <b>dry needling --</b> when it's performed with a clear diagnosis of injury and understanding of involved anatomical structures -- can promote <i>micro-</i>, cellular or tissue-level, changes in soft tissue (ligaments, tendons, muscle, fascia, nerves.) These micro-changes can have profound effects on the structure of soft tissue, promoting changes in tension level, alleviating pain, supporting tissue healing and altering the way the body balances itself in space. By virtue of its micro-level affects, <b>dry needling</b> may produce longer lasting affects on soft tissue than massage and manual orthopedic therapies alone. It is an excellent adjunct to other forms of musculoskeletal therapy.</div>
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Related Articles:<br />
<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2014/05/topics-in-orthopedic-medicine-series.html" target="_blank">Dry Needling vs. Acupuncture</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/01/scientific-research-on-acupuncture-pain.html" target="_blank">How It Works: The SCIENCE on Acupuncture & Pain Management</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Alon Marcus. <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Integrative-Musculoskeletal-Medicine-East-West/dp/1556435401/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399625493&sr=8-1&keywords=alon+marcus" target="_blank">Foundations for Integrative Musculoskeletal Medicine: An East-West Approach.</a></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Matt Callison. <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Motor-Point-Index-Acupuncturists-Locating-ebook/dp/B007Y5WCUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399625613&sr=8-1&keywords=matt+callison" target="_blank">Motor Point Index: An Acupuncturist's Guide to Locating and Treating Motor Points.</a></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">J.H. Cyriax. <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cyriaxs-Illustrated-Manual-Orthopaedic-Medicine/dp/0750632747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399625687&sr=8-1&keywords=cyriax" target="_blank">Cyriax's Illustrated Manual of Orthopedic Medicine.</a></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">C. Chan Gunn. <i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gunn-Approach-Treatment-Chronic-Pain/dp/0443054223/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399625760&sr=8-1&keywords=chan+gunn" target="_blank">The Gunn Approach to the Treatment of Chronic Pain: Intramuscular Stimulation for Myofascial Pain of Radiculopathic Origin.</a></i></span></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-27553806187658871802014-05-08T12:48:00.002-07:002014-05-30T13:22:19.679-07:00Topics in Orthopedic Medicine Series: Part 1 - Dry Needling vs. Acupuncture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my clinical specializations is <b>integrative orthopedic medicine</b>. I utilize a variety of gentle, supportive therapiees from both Eastern & Western medicine to help patients recover from <b>injury</b> and to alleviate chronic musculo-skeletal <b>pain</b> conditions. Some techniques I use include:<br />
<ul>
<li>acupuncture, </li>
<li>dry-needling, </li>
<li>various massage modalities, including <i>tui na,</i> Swedish and deep tissue,</li>
<li>physical therapy-based exercise and stretching techniques, and </li>
<li>various soft-tissue mobilization techniques from orthopedic and osteopathic medicine. </li>
</ul>
I'm excited to launch a series of blogposts exploring various <b>topics in orthopedic medicine</b>.<br />
<br />
In this article, I introduce the therapeutic modalities of <b>acupuncture </b>and <b>dry needling:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
What is acupuncture?<br />
What is dry needling?<br />
What is the difference between the two?<br />
How do they work?<br />
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<b>First, a bit of politics:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Acupuncture & dry needling are currently <b><i>hot topics</i></b> in orthopedic medicine in the United States. Various state legislatures are discussing & enacting legislation regarding dry needling and the scopes of practice of physical therapists and medical doctors. Professional associations and lobbying groups are bandying about opinions about whether or not dry needling is acupuncture, whether the acupuncture profession has exclusive claims on dry needling therapy, etc. Needless to say, dry needling is becoming more popular as a therapeutic modality, and orthopedic physicians and physical therapists are taking increasing interest in the use of needles -- long the main therapeutic tool of acupuncturists -- to treat of pain and injury.<br />
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I'm not going to go any deeper into current political controversies regarding professional scopes of practice and the use of needles. Rather, I hope to simply introduce and compare the modalities of acupuncture & dry needling for the interest of my readers and patients.<br />
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<b>So, what are acupuncture & dry needling? Is there a difference between them?</b><br />
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<b>Acupuncture </b>and <b>dry-needling</b> both involve the insertion of fine, filiform needles into points along the body. ("<i>Filiform</i>" means <i>solid</i>, as opposed to the hollow needles used in administering injections.) While the techniques of acupuncture and dry needling overlap, there are significant differences between the two therapies.<br />
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Most fundamentally, they are based on different theoretical frameworks:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Acupuncture</b> needling is based on theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that have evolved in Asia over the last several thousand years. Acupuncture needles are generally inserted into points along a complex system of meridian pathways.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Dry needling</b>, by contrast, is based on the western neuroanatomical conception of the body. Needles are inserted into specific muscle tissues, ligaments, tendons and periosteal regions where tendons and ligaments attach to bones.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Acupuncture is old; dry needling is (relatively) new:</div>
<ul>
<li>In historical context, <b>acupuncture</b> has occupied a center-stage position in the traditional medical practices arising from East Asia, with evidence of the first therapeutic uses of acupuncture needles dating back four or five thousand years.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>While <b>dry needling</b> therapy is reputed to have been used in western medical traditions dating back to Hippocrates, its place in western medicine has been marginal until recently. Neuro-anatomical concepts underlying dry needling techniques are arguably less than a couple hundred years old and still undergoing intensive clinical research.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Acupuncture generally approaches healing through a <b>wider lens</b>; dry needling uses a <b>narrower focus</b>. This difference accounts for some of the strengths and weaknesses of both therapies:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Western orthopedic medicine takes a <b>disease-based approach</b> -- so, dry needling tends to focus on treatment of a specific lesion or tissue injury. This approach typically does <i>not</i> take into account <i>why</i> this "failure" occurred.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Holistic medicine systems, by contrast, tend to take a <b>systemic approach</b>, focusing on the background against which the lesion/disease occurred. In TCM-based acupuncture, this <i>background</i> is the system of meridian pathways of the body. Neuromuscular problems, pain & injury, are evaluated as blockages of Qi and Blood of the meridian system. TCM practitioners generally address the background system, in addition to treatment of specific lesions.</li>
</ul>
This is not to say that dry needling performed by a practitioner trained in systems of medicine originating in the western world never considers the background against which specific lesions or injury occur. Skilled osteopaths, for example, have very nuanced understandings of degenerative processes and injury in the context of the balance of the body in space. Homeopathic medicine also considers illness and injury from a sophisticated holistic perspective. But these are beyond the scope of this article.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
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From a practitioner's perspective:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Dry-needling, by virtue of its specificity, requires an excellent working knowledge of neuroanatomical structures. To effectively treat an injury, a practitioner must have the orthopedic assessment and palpatory skills to hone in on the exact location of a lesion that is causing pain and/or dysfunction. That means determining, for example, exactly which muscle is in spasm or weak, which ligament is lax, or where on a tendon a micro-tear is located.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The expertise of the acupuncturist comes in part from his or her ability to make a holistic diagnosis, based in part on palpation of the patient's pulses and tissue qualities along meridian pathways, etc.</li>
</ul>
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The integration of Chinese medicine and biomechanical/biomedical perspectives can increase our understanding of the causes of musculoskeletal pain and the efficacy of treatment. It is because of this that I often integrate Chinese medicine-based acupuncture and dry needling techniques in my work with patients.<br />
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For theories on why <b>acupuncture</b> works, please see my article <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/01/scientific-research-on-acupuncture-pain.html" target="_blank">"How It Works: The Science on Acupuncture & Pain Management."</a><br />
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For more on <b>dry needling</b>, please see <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2014/05/topics-in-orthopedic-medicine-series_9.html" target="_blank">Topics in Orthopedic Medicine Series: Part 2 -- How Dry Needling Works.</a><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Reference:</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Most of the ideas in this article came from the text book authored by my teacher, Alon Marcus, OMD. <i>Foundations for Integrative Musculoskeletal Medicine: An East-West Approach.</i> Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2004.</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-28097360314522281272013-11-06T16:14:00.003-08:002013-11-07T10:29:15.744-08:00Spotlight on TCM Pediatrics: Inherent Characteristics of Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Most authoritative discussions of traditional Chinese <b>pediatric</b> medicine always begins with a list of <b><span style="font-size: large;">fundamental inherent characteristics of children</span></b>.<br />
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It's kind of a mouthful -- and phrased differently in different texts -- but the idea is that children are, by nature, different from adults anatomically and physiologically, and - by extension - mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Chinese medicine practitioners have, over the millenia, through medical practice & observation, teased out some of the factors that set children apart from adults.<br />
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I think these "inherent characteristics" are fun to think about --- and, of course, they have implications for clinical treatment & lifelong health. Discussion of TCM pediatrics in popular forums is sparse, so, I thought I'd hash out some of these "characteristics" over a series of blogposts.<br />
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Let me start by saying that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a highly effective option in the treatment of children. In fact, children typically respond more quickly to the subtle influences of TCM treatment than adults do because they are growing and changing so rapidly. However, children can not simply be treated as mini-versions of adults. To treat children effectively, a TCM practitioner must consider the <b>inherent characteristics</b> of children, which necessarily inform diagnosis and treatment.<br />
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The classical Chinese medical texts, which were written by many different physician-authors over the course of several thousand years and form the basis for modern TCM, abound with <b>sayings</b> or <b>proverbs</b>. These proverbs are usually four or five Chinese characters long. The inherent characteristics of children lists also come from these classical texts and follow this format. Some examples are:<br />
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"Children's Spleen is often insufficient."<br />
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"Children's Yin is often insufficient."<br />
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"Children's organs are fragile and soft, Qi easily leaves its path."<br />
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"Children easily become ill, and their illness quickly becomes serious."<br />
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"Yin & yang organs are clear & spirited. They easily & quickly regain their health."<br />
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Lists of the characteristics of children vary somewhat among the different TCM source texts available in the English language. My presentation will draw on various sources, but is ultimately my own summary.<br />
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<b>Who Counts as a Kid in Chinese Medicine?</b><br />
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From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the kidneys control developmental cycles in human life. Women are thought to follow <b>seven-year cycles</b> and men <b>eight year cycles</b> (the end of the first cycle characterized by the loss of baby teeth & the growth of permanent teeth at ages 7 & 8, and the end of the second cycle marked by the onset of puberty and maturation of reproductive capacities at ages 14 & 16, for girls and boys respectively) -- this according to the first chapter of the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, the fundamental text of traditional Chinese medicine, compiled between 400 and 200 BCE, roughly.<br />
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The principles and considerations of Chinese medicine pediatrics apply to children during the first 7- or 8-year life cycle and, to a lesser extent, during the second cycle. The same Chinese medicine diagnostic and treatment principles that are applied to adults can mostly be applied to teenagers after they've hit through puberty. However, the first life transition at 7/8 years and, more importantly perhaps, the transition of puberty can be viewed through a Chinese medicine lens, and Chinese medicine can be useful in easing challenges that arise during these transitions. Maybe this is material for another blogpost.<br />
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Stay tuned for more discussion on the Fundamental Inherent Characteristics of Children in future posts.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A few sources:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Julian Scott & Teresa Barlow. <i>Acupuncture in the Treatment of Children. </i>Seattle: Eastland Press, 1991.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob Flaws. <i>A Practitioner's Guide to the Care & Treatment of Common Childhood Diseases, </i>Boulder: Blue Poppy Press, 1997.</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-49184503068087719022013-04-21T23:34:00.002-07:002013-04-22T00:32:10.104-07:00Common Chinese Patent Herbal Formulas for Allergic Rhinitis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>For Acute Symptoms:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">There are two patent formulas that are worth having in your home-remedy kit for the relief of acute allergic symptoms, particularly allergic rhinitis and headaches:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxjuKx0At9mT8SkRdRHOuy3W-AOajAc8RflgHH28CqZLbRxaJKAhG7tAcn5yRkbIsaiKEeez8geEgCkKLEesRKQMs6OgxCb9ryhNFgDCUZKezCXBTun8nUq38B0H6D7G86FfiObGxhMw/s1600/bi+yan+pian2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #771100; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxjuKx0At9mT8SkRdRHOuy3W-AOajAc8RflgHH28CqZLbRxaJKAhG7tAcn5yRkbIsaiKEeez8geEgCkKLEesRKQMs6OgxCb9ryhNFgDCUZKezCXBTun8nUq38B0H6D7G86FfiObGxhMw/s200/bi+yan+pian2.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /><b>"<i>Bi Yan Pian,</i>" </b>or "Nose Inflammation Tablets," disperses wind, clears heat, expels toxins and transforms phlegm to unblock the sinuses, treat sinus congestion and pain and sinus headaches and relieve red, itchy or watery eyes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /><b>"<i>Xin Yi Wan</i>," </b>or "Magnolia Flower Teapills," dispel wind-cold and eliminate dampness to relieve nasal congestion, sinus pain, post-nasal drip, sneezing, runny nose, headache, stiff & achy upper back & neck.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Both of these formulas consist of herbs that expel wind from the exterior of the body, like </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Japanese catnip, or </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Schizonepeta tenuifolie (</i><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">jing jie</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) and </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Siler divaricata (fang feng). </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">They also contain herbs to clear the nasal passages, like </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">magnolia buds (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">xin yi hua</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) and xanthium fuit (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">cang er zi</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">).</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /><b><br /></b><b>What is the difference between these two formulas?</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /><br />Basically, <i style="font-weight: bold;">bi yan pian</i> is for allergies characterized by <b>wind-heat</b> and<b> phlegm</b> signs (which might include thick, sticky, yellow nasal discharge; red, itchy eyes; feeling of warmth, fever or agitation or avoidance of warmth.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i><i style="font-weight: bold;">Xin Yin Wan</i> is for allergies characterized by <b>wind-cold</b> and <b>dampness</b> signs (copious, clear, runny nasal discharge; stiff upper back & neck; feeling of heaviness or foggy-headedness; sneezing; feeling of chilliness or avoidance of cold.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>For Allergy Prevention:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">As your acute symptoms decrease, your herbalist will work with you to address underlying physiological imbalances and regulate your immune system to reduce overall occurrence of allergic reactions.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Typically, an underlying weakness, often a </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">deficiency of Lung</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> and </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Spleen Qi</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">, is what makes people susceptible to allergies. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Lung Qi</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> is responsible for the proper function of the entire respiratory tract, including the nasal passages. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Spleen Qi</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> controls the transport of fluids in the body. When the Spleen is impaired, weakening digestive function, it can lead to an overproduction of mucous, which tends to collect in the lungs. Weakness of <b>Kidney Qi </b>sometimes plays a role in long-term chronic allergies and asthma.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArIGAoLHXY50plcsKB1IDe6f1EubujI4ur9IqAyqpaYTe7rYrmOpaPMlhZRE-dDA2tjieezGI9SFaylctxmsDgwwoY4Wk3mg8UvhWfQscbEOWFrafXG0IAAs_W53GcqarPfeYZzvkcDs/s1600/six+gentleman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArIGAoLHXY50plcsKB1IDe6f1EubujI4ur9IqAyqpaYTe7rYrmOpaPMlhZRE-dDA2tjieezGI9SFaylctxmsDgwwoY4Wk3mg8UvhWfQscbEOWFrafXG0IAAs_W53GcqarPfeYZzvkcDs/s1600/six+gentleman.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The weakness of Qi underlying seasonal allergies is treated with herbs that bolster Lung and Spleen function, such as codonopsis (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">dang shen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">), atractylodes (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">bai zhu</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">), and honey-roasted licorice (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">zhi gan cao</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">).</span><br />
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A classic formula for toning the immune system is <b>Jade Windscreen Powder </b>(in Chinese, <i><b>yu ping feng san</b></i>), containing two herbs to bolster Lung and Spleen--astragalus root (<i>huang qi</i>) and atractylodes (<i>bai zhu</i>)-- and one herb to repel wind--siler (<i>fang feng</i>).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlXFGu6T-uJzYDyno5CGvVvS8Qx7YL-p9kiyoiY5W7kBkeOo_iVo3dBvaUikcAuepqd3nJcj5uE_0P-tHH6E6q_Ss2Jou77SAc0xtwT9Yl93PONLI5D2DYfLj-bGJzkaRV0Mhz4UXysg/s1600/yu+ping+feng+san.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlXFGu6T-uJzYDyno5CGvVvS8Qx7YL-p9kiyoiY5W7kBkeOo_iVo3dBvaUikcAuepqd3nJcj5uE_0P-tHH6E6q_Ss2Jou77SAc0xtwT9Yl93PONLI5D2DYfLj-bGJzkaRV0Mhz4UXysg/s200/yu+ping+feng+san.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">Another useful formula for allergy prevention is <b>Six Gentlemen Decocotion (</b></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b>liu jun zi tang</b></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b>)</b>. This formula bolsters the Spleen and Lung AND contains to medicinals, pinellia (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">ban xia</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">) and aged citrus peel (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">chen pi</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">), which enhance the base formula's ability to clear mucous and dry dampness.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye0cCQ0mAjYawNXMNPbp9UkIs0PZPWKY5DXVx_ng2f25v_wB5BmARYk-uLEPGKjKyAEL6gBm8-fykzOR_KF5LrfZG6h6o4zPqakJtvqI5Z8OZMuD1vwUTv1CbJwl7kg5zTBV-9B6cOT0/s1600/liu+jun+zi+tang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye0cCQ0mAjYawNXMNPbp9UkIs0PZPWKY5DXVx_ng2f25v_wB5BmARYk-uLEPGKjKyAEL6gBm8-fykzOR_KF5LrfZG6h6o4zPqakJtvqI5Z8OZMuD1vwUTv1CbJwl7kg5zTBV-9B6cOT0/s200/liu+jun+zi+tang.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br />There are many other Chinese herbal patent formulations on the market besides those mentioned here. Consult with your herbalist to learn which products are safe and from reputable companies, as well as which formulations might best meet your needs. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Furthermore, an herbalist who mixes formulas from individual herbs has a much wider range of options to draw from in customizing a formula that meets your specific needs.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Related Articles:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/relieve-allergies-with-chinese-medicine.html" target="_blank">Relieve Allergies Naturally with Chinese Medicine</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/research-acupunture-chinese-herbs.html" target="_blank">Research: Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Effective in Relieving Seasonal Allergies</a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-38453101722116314122013-04-21T22:34:00.001-07:002013-04-21T23:12:31.507-07:00Featured Acupuncture Point: Gallbladder 20 "Wind Pool" for Allergies, Headache & Sinusitis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wl115mKJkHiRq40sUnLvXsK6HL4MYYqw37Prt93DeS8rZfe7a4uXlJ1oLUp2-cG5elMfKMg5e2fKJB20ciMauXoZ5R1JIRXOxHvsv2RIQrOO_b0Wiirw1vMcSBktS1tzIEIbbNgBv2k/s1600/feng+chi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wl115mKJkHiRq40sUnLvXsK6HL4MYYqw37Prt93DeS8rZfe7a4uXlJ1oLUp2-cG5elMfKMg5e2fKJB20ciMauXoZ5R1JIRXOxHvsv2RIQrOO_b0Wiirw1vMcSBktS1tzIEIbbNgBv2k/s1600/feng+chi.jpg" /></a></div>
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The acupuncture point <b>gallbladder 20</b>, or <i>feng chi, </i>translated as "Wind Pool," is located bilaterally, in the tender hollows at the base of the skull, between the origins of the steromastoid and trapezius muscles.<br />
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The point is relevant to themes of <b>allergy relief</b> and <b>springtime Liver health</b>. It is commonly used by acupuncturist to treat sinus congestion, headaches, and red, itchy eyes, as well as to address certain Liver pathologies.<br />
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Gallbladder 20 is called "Wind Pool," first, because the depression in which it is located resembles a <i>pool</i> on the body's landscape. Second, and more significantly, it is used to treat all kinds of <b>"wind patterns."</b><br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Wind</i>, in Chinese medicine, is one of six climactic factors (along with cold, dampness, dryness, heat & fire) that cause disease.<br />
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Characteristics of wind-diseases include:<br />
<ul>
<li>rapid onset</li>
<li>rapid changes in symptoms</li>
<li>moving from place to place in the body</li>
<li>affect the top part of the body.</li>
</ul>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i>
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Wind</i>-<i style="font-weight: bold;">diseases</i> are divided into <b>external</b> and <b>internal</b> patterns:</div>
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<b>Allergies </b>and the <b>common cold</b> are common examples of <b>external wind-invasion.</b> In these cases, wind invades the Lungs and penetrating the body's surface/defensive Qi. An acupuncturist differentiates between patterns of wind-cold (chills, runny nose, stiff-achy neck & back, etc.); wind-heat ( fever, thick-yellow mucous, congestion, red eyes, etc.); and wind-dampness (congestion, runny nose, feeling of heaviness and foggy-headedness). </div>
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External wind can also invade the channels of the face, causing facial paralysis or Bell's Palsy; the joints, causing arthritic pain; or the liver, causing itching.</div>
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<b>Internal wind</b>, by contrast, is always related to Liver disharmony, and manifests as tremors, tics, dizziness, vertigo, numbness, and in severe cases, convulsions, unconsciousness and stroke.</div>
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In terms of Yin & Yang, wind is a Yang pathogen. Gallbladder 20 is a crossing point of several important Yang channels of the body. It is supremely important in treating <b>wind conditions</b>. Located at a pivotal position between the head and the body, it is one of the most important points to treat diseases of the <b>brain</b>, the <b>head</b> and the <b>sensory organs</b>, especially the <b>eyes</b>.</div>
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In biomedical terms, stimulation of gallbladder 20 can support the function of the vagus nerve, which plays an important role in the innervation of the parasympathetic nervous system.</div>
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The therapeutic actions of gallbladder 20, in Chinese medicine terms, are:</div>
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<ul>
<li>eliminates wind</li>
<li>benefits the head and eyes</li>
<li>clears the sense organs</li>
<li>activates the Yang channels of the body and alleviates pain.</li>
</ul>
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Gallbladder 20 is often stimulated with acupuncture or massage to treat:</div>
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<ul>
<li>headache</li>
<li>dizziness</li>
<li>hypertension</li>
<li>sequelae of stroke</li>
<li>epilepsy</li>
<li>insomnia</li>
<li>dementia</li>
<li>hives</li>
<li>common cold</li>
<li>sinusitis</li>
<li>nasal congestion/runniness</li>
<li>redness and pain of the eyes</li>
<li>vision problems</li>
<li>nosebleed</li>
<li>deafness</li>
<li>tinnitus</li>
<li>stiffness and pain of the neck and low back.</li>
</ul>
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Gallbladder 20 can alleviate pain on the back, as well as on the sides of the body. The sides of the body are the domain of the gallbladder channel.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Self-Treatment</b></span></div>
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<b>Massage</b> this gallbladder to alleviate <b>headaches</b> (particularly sinus or one-sided headaches), <b>sinusitis</b> or <b>insomnia</b>.</div>
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With the thenar eminences of the palms of both hands (the thick pad nearest the thumb), massage gallbladder 20 in a rapid circular motion, 20-50 small, rapid circles, until the area becomes warm.</div>
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Follow this by massaging Kidney 1, the bubbling wellspring point, on the bottoms of the feet with the palms of the hand in rapid circular motions, in order to bring energy down out of the head.</div>
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<b>Gallbladder 20 is just one of many tools in the acupuncturist's toolkit.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<b>If you or someone you care about suffers from allergies, sinusitis, vision problems, headaches, etc.,</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<b>call 510-495-5752 or email stephanie@stephaniedoucette.com,</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
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<b>to learn more about how acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can help.</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Related Articles:</u></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #990000;"><u><br /></u></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/relieve-allergies-with-chinese-medicine.html">Relieve Allergies Naturally with Chinese Medicine</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-liver-in-traditional-chinese.html" target="_blank">The Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/02/sinusitis-acupuncture-herbs-self.html" target="_blank">Sinusitis: Acupuncture, Herbs & Self-Treatment Tips</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><u>References:</u></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Andrew Ellis, et al. <i>Grasping the Wind: An Exploration into the Meaning of Chinese acupuncture point names.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Giovanni Maciocia. <i>The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter Deadman et al. <i>A Manual of Acupuncture</i></span></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-23747162270191084692013-04-19T10:10:00.004-07:002013-04-19T10:12:48.282-07:00Recipe: Raw Sauerkraut for Gut Health<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_O3XelArEvS_h-SX_qe8JhMcIkxNytPQp082Fd5oA7oCjJoW3vtSkqa_WcptpUXqI-xU-_8SBZ2-Em2D7-4W5LFM3tDj7dOc4LVcXErDk-ee2vXd8jImtrMW7fxnvHKllw48g-Falms/s1600/sauerkraut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_O3XelArEvS_h-SX_qe8JhMcIkxNytPQp082Fd5oA7oCjJoW3vtSkqa_WcptpUXqI-xU-_8SBZ2-Em2D7-4W5LFM3tDj7dOc4LVcXErDk-ee2vXd8jImtrMW7fxnvHKllw48g-Falms/s320/sauerkraut.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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I recommend including a bit of naturally-fermented food with every meal.<br />
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Naturally-fermented food enhances the digestibility of the meal it's eaten with. Benefits of fermented foods include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>increased vitamin levels</li>
<li>a wealth of beneficial enzymes</li>
<li>antibiotic and anticarcinogenic properties</li>
<li>promotion of healthy gut flora throughout the intestines.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
</ul>
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All sorts of benefits from eating naturally-fermented foods have been demonstrated in<b> research</b> studies. Just one example: In a <a href="http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/14767058.2012.755166?journalCode=jmf&"><b>2013 review of studies</b></a> on probiotics in pregnancy: "Results demonstrated that probiotic use in pregnancy could significantly reduce maternal fasting glucose, incidence of GDM (gestational diabetes) and pre-eclampsia rates and levels of C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation)." Pretty amazing!</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: #38761d;">What is Lacto-Fermentation?</span></h3>
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<b><i>Lacto-fermentation</i></b> originated as a means of preserving vegetables for long periods of time without the use of freezers or canning technology. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Sugars and starches in vegetables & fruits are converted to lactic acid by the many species of lactic-acid producing bacteria, or <i>lactobacilli. Lactobacilli </i>re on the surface of all living things, especially leaves and roots of plants living in or near the ground. People around the world have developed techniques for controlling and encouraging the lacto-fermentation<b> </b>process. From them, we inherit all sorts of recipes for naturally-fermented fruits & veggies: pickles, relishes, chutneys, kimchees, etc.</div>
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In Europe, the principle fermented food was <b>sauerkraut</b>. <b>Sauerkraut is an easy first project</b> if you want to begin making your own ferments at home.</div>
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Here is a recipe from Sally Fallon's book <i>Nourishing Traditions. </i>I bring home a cabbage every week or two, make a big jar of kraut & serve a little bit as a garnish for almost every meal.</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Ingredients:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG66zA4fxrM1Qiom4RzyzYmiDgRkNy-dwSqnveOqB0AJMwMb_daVkHFjFL7HLMdhcFWl5-__4ffgjWkgaLaIAgsK8WgM6K4j4IJGX8uveKjqnASkAUclpnW-jp_794y251aYuLWZWev7I/s1600/chopped+cabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG66zA4fxrM1Qiom4RzyzYmiDgRkNy-dwSqnveOqB0AJMwMb_daVkHFjFL7HLMdhcFWl5-__4ffgjWkgaLaIAgsK8WgM6K4j4IJGX8uveKjqnASkAUclpnW-jp_794y251aYuLWZWev7I/s200/chopped+cabbage.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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1 medium cabbage, cored & shredded</div>
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1 tablespoon caraway seeds </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(you can experiment with other herbs & spices. I like to use juniper berries, rosemary, bay leaves, or toasted mustard seeds.)</span></div>
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1 tablespoon sea salt</div>
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4 tablespoons whey*</div>
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*If you don't have whey, don't worry. Just use an additional 1 tablespoon of salt.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Whey is the fluid part that results when dairy products like milk or yogurt separate. It's obviously a great source of <i>lactobacilli</i>, and can be used in pickle recipes to enhance the fermentation process. In the absence of whey, the <i>lactobacilli</i> occurring naturally on the cabbage leaves is sufficient. Here's a <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/09/whey-how-to-make-it-where-to-get-it.html"><b>link</b></a> to information on how to make/where to obtain whey.)</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">To make:</span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRexQHvowLD7rb1NSGlzi2JyDTsoklO7_ZxfSuz9jmt463ymMX5E6pC_5WxFbipk0bh7SRlc-gldRrFvrIzvKEASN2MZ2fT8-Rfwb8HK0E9koXmnufjkWCJNPzKse3b1ymNp8O12PHM3w/s1600/cabbage+%2526+salt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRexQHvowLD7rb1NSGlzi2JyDTsoklO7_ZxfSuz9jmt463ymMX5E6pC_5WxFbipk0bh7SRlc-gldRrFvrIzvKEASN2MZ2fT8-Rfwb8HK0E9koXmnufjkWCJNPzKse3b1ymNp8O12PHM3w/s200/cabbage+%2526+salt.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
In a bowl, mix cabbage with caraway seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer for about 10 minutes to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately after jarring, but it improves with age.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09miq4y2bkRc1sf__JBVNCE7LE62oZ_lWaey1ZAcjiMBmj-sw-_RKqG7r6I4PZyquhAXOXQCuFjrqkIVOaAriE0D4v6MsAwVGPvUbdQY49rMvUOGnyE0o6_Xya1YLA-Xc5gdqZFy26Yc/s1600/pounding+cabbage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09miq4y2bkRc1sf__JBVNCE7LE62oZ_lWaey1ZAcjiMBmj-sw-_RKqG7r6I4PZyquhAXOXQCuFjrqkIVOaAriE0D4v6MsAwVGPvUbdQY49rMvUOGnyE0o6_Xya1YLA-Xc5gdqZFy26Yc/s200/pounding+cabbage.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>Reference:</i><br />
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Sally Fallon Morrell with Mary G. Enig, PhD. <i>Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXv4sDIAhbt83RygRmC2GXEQ7lRuVfIcZHGIW-9QJnjlSNK0EdlNzqeTRqoVabWAxOdpSqHoriwpxjUd5-kwUC-OhzqyYm7Pdc2ElhGZ2sFDiZ3Gr0UmLMTLoV80ZQL1njJKzSXfsRgpA/s1600/multi-color+sauerkraut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXv4sDIAhbt83RygRmC2GXEQ7lRuVfIcZHGIW-9QJnjlSNK0EdlNzqeTRqoVabWAxOdpSqHoriwpxjUd5-kwUC-OhzqyYm7Pdc2ElhGZ2sFDiZ3Gr0UmLMTLoV80ZQL1njJKzSXfsRgpA/s320/multi-color+sauerkraut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-26233418767079005042013-04-18T16:50:00.000-07:002013-04-19T10:56:44.196-07:00Allergy Self-Help: 12 Tips for Relieving & Preventing Seasonal Allergies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Allergies can range from unpleasant to disabling. </span><br />
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<b>A</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><b>llopathic medicines</b>, such as antihistamines or cortico-steroids, can provide effective, short-term relief. However, they frequently have side effects such as drowsiness, immune-system suppression, and over-reliance. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">Fortunately, there are a range of <b>holistic remedies</b> worth trying for relief and prevention of allergy symptoms.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">A few basic points to keep in mind --- Allergies are an <b>overreaction of the immune system</b>, involving <b>inflammatory processes</b>. To eliminate allergy symptoms, we want to <b>decrease inflammation </b>and regulate immunity and metabolic processes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">In Chinese medicine terms, we want to expel pathogenic factors (particularly phlegm, dampness and wind) and support the proper function of the Spleen, Lung and Kidney systems.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">(For a more comprehensive look at allergies from western and Chinese medical perspectives, please see my article <a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/relieve-allergies-with-chinese-medicine.html"><b>Relieve Allergies Naturally with Chinese Medicine</b></a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">Here's a list of <b>self-help tips</b> beginning with general diet and lifestyle suggestions and moving on to specific medicinal remedies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Simple Diet:</span></b></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT9TiJjcG2wOo9O2OpCuyvJYHZ9j4cNVuzYWt9N5aXNndjomx5WO4o93DRSKYCP4tahQsHcsr-wZJg7FKkZVzWA4BnsxuLKyE3CgXT-e50v88MfHLnkgH8QthSxESkKx20n3N2nS2M_s/s1600/leafy+green+vegies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT9TiJjcG2wOo9O2OpCuyvJYHZ9j4cNVuzYWt9N5aXNndjomx5WO4o93DRSKYCP4tahQsHcsr-wZJg7FKkZVzWA4BnsxuLKyE3CgXT-e50v88MfHLnkgH8QthSxESkKx20n3N2nS2M_s/s200/leafy+green+vegies.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">If you're struggling with allergies, it's a good idea to simplify your diet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><b>Cut out foods that weaken your immunity, increase inflammation or build phlegm</b>. These include sugar, sweets, carbs, wheat, excessive grains, orange juice, excessively spicy, rich or salty foods, and deep-fried foods. Pasteurized milk products may increase phlegm and worsen allergies and asthma. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Consider the fats and oils</b> you use. </span>Eating poor quality fat compromises the structural integrity of your cells, making them more susceptible to inflammation and damage. Eliminate trans fats, hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, margarine, shortening, fast food and cottonseed, canola and corn oils which are not stable at high temperatures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>High quality fats</b> build healthy cells that aren’t as susceptible to becoming inflamed. These include olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, and ghee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A German study, published in the journal <i>Allergy</i>, found that participants who ate foods rich in <b>omega-3 fatty acids</b> were less likely to suffer allergy symptoms than those who didn't eat these foods regularly. (<a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2006-08-01/Six-Natural-Allergy-Remedies.aspx?page=3#axzz2PFMSwKB8">Source</a>) Omega 3 fatty acids<b> </b>are plentiful in grass-fed meat and eggs from pasture-raised foul. Also, consider taking an <b>Essential Fatty Acid (EFA)</b> supplement that is high in <b>Omega 3</b> oils to reduce inflammation in the body. (One of my current favorite EFA products is fermented cod liver oil from Green Pastures, available through <a href="http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/category/67">Radiant Life Company</a>.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Avoid processed foods</b>. Eliminate nitrates, sulfites, MSG, dyes, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, genetically engineered foods, preservatives and pesticides. All of these substances can increase your susceptibility to being more inflamed and allergic. <b>Choose organic </b>as much as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, avoid foods that elicit negative reactions (phlegm production, bloating, abdominal discomfort, gas, etc.) for you. Decreasing the burden on your body's metabolic functions can reduce inflammation and allergic responses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember that <b>Spring</b> is the time of year to <b>lighten our diets</b>. A diet consisting of lots of lightly steamed veggies, broth and stock, and small amounts of high-quality meat will reduce inflammation, build strong cells, tone your tissues and improve your metabolism, making you less prone to allergies. <b>Ginger</b> and <b>turmeric</b> both possess anti-inflammatory properties and make tasty garnishes. A garnish of <b>horseradish</b> may help as a temporary decongestant by virtue of its spiciness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more food ideas, please see my article <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/spring-food-cooking-tips_12.html"><b>Spring Food & Cooking Tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine</b></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">If they body is not getting enough water, it creates mucous to counteract dryness. Getting enough water is an important first step in preventing or eliminating allergies.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">One recommendation is to drink "1/2 your weight" in water daily. </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">I.e., if you weigh 120 pounds, drink 60 oz water. Consider using a water bottle that shows the quantity of water it holds in ounces. Pay attention to how much you drink daily, and increasing that amount if necessary.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSekmFK8tlq8G-Q6NxkGN8Zr7f1sPRSO0yGDrU5p0H9O2nQDA8Cf4xg6LmTl29EIwEMz0TZ8dAL6CGoDvi3JwLSh-iuR8blJfYQ7X4_Sc8qD56dxnIc9mdEBf_AUHipZfqWs2kKD8U1So/s1600/liver+&+digestive+organs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSekmFK8tlq8G-Q6NxkGN8Zr7f1sPRSO0yGDrU5p0H9O2nQDA8Cf4xg6LmTl29EIwEMz0TZ8dAL6CGoDvi3JwLSh-iuR8blJfYQ7X4_Sc8qD56dxnIc9mdEBf_AUHipZfqWs2kKD8U1So/s200/liver+&+digestive+organs.jpg" width="197" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Consider that your liver helps mediate the inflammatory responses in your body, including responding to allergens. Among the liver's many jobs is filtering chemical toxins in your body. If the liver is backed up and bogged down with daily toxic exposures, it is less able to help you with your allergic reactions. (For more on the liver from Chinese & western medicine perspectives, please see my article <a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-liver-in-traditional-chinese.html">The Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">This can be discouraging due to the amount of inevitable toxic exposure we face in our daily lives. Read the labels on all your body care products, soaps, detergents, make up, hair care products, and household cleaning products and make a commitment to using all natural personal and household care items.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A useful theory to consider in relation to food, cleaning products and environmental toxins is the </span><b>Total Load Theory</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">. This theory states that for some people exposure to a single allergen may not be enough to trigger a symptomatic response; however, exposure to several allergens around the same time elicits an allergic response. A simple example is, say, that a person is allergic to cow's milk <i>and</i> to a particular tree pollen. That person may drink milk without any noticeable allergic response. But when certain pollens are present, she suffers from allergic symptoms. By avoiding dairy products during pollen season, she maybe able to lessen her "allergic load" and reduce her symptoms. Similarly, avoiding environmental toxins or foods to which you have sensitivities as much as possible may help reduce seasonal allergy symptoms.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract play an important role in your inflammatory response. You can reduce the severity of allergic reactions by increasing the integrity of your gastrointestinal tract. Beneficial bacteria are destroyed by anti-biotics, medications, stress, birth control pills, chemical toxins and excess coffee and sugar consumption. Consider nourishing the beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract by eating naturally-fermented foods such as raw sauerkraut, kim chee, whey, kefir and plain yogurt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's an easy <a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/recipe-raw-sauerkraut-for-gut-health.html"><b>recipe for naturally-fermented sauerkraut</b></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Half of the immune cells in your body are found in the digestive tract. Supporting your gut will improve your immunity and decrease your allergy symptoms.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In a 2008 <b>study</b>, researchers discovered that people who took probiotics throughout allergy season had lower levels of an antibody that triggered allergy symptoms. They also had higher levels of a different antibody (IgG), thought to play a protective role against allergic reactions. (<a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/18/allergy-season.aspx?e_cid=20130418_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130418ProdTest2" style="font-weight: normal;">Source.</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Tea Instead of Coffee</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAPq2EqhidsuGLHYolM0u7fnrdBNqfpH3KPFIjfLtDQzannzGAQu3hfgWa89thIGlWD78OG7zd43hHBtpYZsKAakApUk6B5mzGFEL8CQR4izaVyli3D9pr4AAkXCcEWHKI4fUZZRq0xk/s1600/green+tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAPq2EqhidsuGLHYolM0u7fnrdBNqfpH3KPFIjfLtDQzannzGAQu3hfgWa89thIGlWD78OG7zd43hHBtpYZsKAakApUk6B5mzGFEL8CQR4izaVyli3D9pr4AAkXCcEWHKI4fUZZRq0xk/s200/green+tea.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The caffeine in coffee tends to deplete your adrenals and weaken your immune system. Tea does not have this affect. <b>Green tea</b> is rich catechins, including a powerful antioxidant phytonutrient called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that blocks histamine and IgE, which are linked to allergies. Drink two or three cups of green tea daily for best results.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>Peppermint tea </b>is another great choice. The essential oils in peppermint have decongestant, anti-inflammatory and mildly anti-bacterial properties.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moving on to more specific medicinal remedies, there are two patent formulas that are worth having in your home-remedy kit for the relief of acute allergic symptoms, particularly allergic rhinitis and headaches:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxjuKx0At9mT8SkRdRHOuy3W-AOajAc8RflgHH28CqZLbRxaJKAhG7tAcn5yRkbIsaiKEeez8geEgCkKLEesRKQMs6OgxCb9ryhNFgDCUZKezCXBTun8nUq38B0H6D7G86FfiObGxhMw/s1600/bi+yan+pian2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxjuKx0At9mT8SkRdRHOuy3W-AOajAc8RflgHH28CqZLbRxaJKAhG7tAcn5yRkbIsaiKEeez8geEgCkKLEesRKQMs6OgxCb9ryhNFgDCUZKezCXBTun8nUq38B0H6D7G86FfiObGxhMw/s200/bi+yan+pian2.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<b>"<i>Bi Yan Pian,</i>" </b>or "Nose Inflammation Tablets," disperses wind, clears heat, expels toxins and transforms phlegm to unblock the sinuses, treat sinus congestion and pain and sinus headaches and relieve red, itchy or watery eyes.</span><br />
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<b>"<i>Xin Yi Wan</i>," </b>or "Magnolia Flower Teapills," dispel wind-cold and eliminate dampness to relieve nasal congestion, sinus pain, post-nasal drip, sneezing, runny nose, headache, stiff & achy upper back & neck.</span><br />
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<b>What is the difference between these two formulas?</b></span><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVZkuEfU0plfpWojOMp4Eqq_fGADHFBbokIZ5cVztHUApE6waND0hdGZluw3yt0uaeSuPbtmEbU2tmcGO9NH8iO5UC0mFtW7eP9T6rwafe8z-5AeARSF9Pzr80orKkMG02NUGZtYBQZk/s1600/xin+yi+wan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVZkuEfU0plfpWojOMp4Eqq_fGADHFBbokIZ5cVztHUApE6waND0hdGZluw3yt0uaeSuPbtmEbU2tmcGO9NH8iO5UC0mFtW7eP9T6rwafe8z-5AeARSF9Pzr80orKkMG02NUGZtYBQZk/s200/xin+yi+wan.jpg" width="114" /></span></a></b></div>
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Basically, <i style="font-weight: bold;">bi yan pian</i> is for allergies characterized by wind-<b>heat </b> and<b> phlegm</b> signs (which might include thick, sticky, yellow nasal discharge; red, itchy eyes; feeling of warmth or agitation or avoidance of warmth.)</span><br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Xin Yin Wan</i> is for allergies characterized by wind-<b>cold</b> and <b>dampness</b> signs (copious, clear, runny nasal discharge; stiff upper back & neck; feeling of heaviness or foggy-headedness; sneezing; feeling of chilliness or avoidance of cold.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It is also worth consulting with a licensed Chinese herbalist who draws from several hundred herbs to customize a formula for your specific needs. As your acute symptoms decrease, your herbalist will also work with you to address underlying physiological imbalances and regulate your immune system to reduce overall occurrence of allergic reactions.</span><br />
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Also, there are many Chinese herbal patent formulations on the market. Consult with your herbalist to learn which products are safe and from reputable companies, as well as which formulations might best meet your needs.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">7. Nettles</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Stinging nettles are a western herb known to reduce sneezing and runny nose due to seasonal allergies. In a 1990 double-blind <b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2192379">study</a>,</b> 58 percent of people reported nettles to be effective in treating allergic rhintis and 48 percent said 300mg of freeze-dried herb was equally or more effective as other allergy medications. A</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> 2009 <b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19140159">study</a> </b>demonstrated in the laboratory that the leaf of the stinging nettle plant blocks at least three chemical reactions essential to our body's inflammatory process, making it a potent anti-allergy medicine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Freeze-dried stinging nettle extract</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> (available in capsules, from th</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">e health food store) may be the most effective formulation, because the freeze-drying preserves certain biological activity. Tinctures are available, as well. I'd recommend steeping the dried leaves and sipping the tea throughout the day. If you're adventurous, you can eat fresh nettles (available in farmer's markets or for springtime wildcrafting.) Be sure to wear gloves when harvesting and preparing them because they do sting. Cooking eliminates the enzymes that cause the sting. Here is a link to a <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-recipe-nettle-soup.html"><b>recipe for nettle soup</b>.</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMhj29-cdetjpPgQuq-7-HuKHzG8lzJDjHs8ZC0MfDqr4b-bYgCRQR-p4nCydSpjfOEQc8b7lc3rbB0VOPgNqvf1mrgncI25R_6XZEJ6TXUca6hQKtgipA9ZvbYUOR4DydUCse5iuZ-o/s1600/reishi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMhj29-cdetjpPgQuq-7-HuKHzG8lzJDjHs8ZC0MfDqr4b-bYgCRQR-p4nCydSpjfOEQc8b7lc3rbB0VOPgNqvf1mrgncI25R_6XZEJ6TXUca6hQKtgipA9ZvbYUOR4DydUCse5iuZ-o/s200/reishi.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A regular dose of medicine mushrooms may build your immune system and reduce inflammation. <b>Reishi</b> and <b>cordyceps</b> have been shown to reduce systemic inflammation and allergic reactions. These can be found in capsule and tincture forms. <a href="http://medicinalmushroominfo.com/cordyceps-provides-hope-for-asthma-arthritis-and-stroke-patients/">Source.</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">9. Nasal Rinsing/Neti-Pot</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many people find it helpful to irrigate the sinuses with warm saline water in order to wash away mucous and environmental debris. You can use a neti-pot to do this or a simple bulb syringe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a recipe:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2n91dSlwJpnlAdKnuUTzeZbCciEwWg6JTFOnkV5kkpWe4TRgJYMsw51ChYAe_nx6gAZx69EoKzWyHICc_PfgPCsuz72xhVg_GF9pS1zdPyivyXdN1iSlt1QnX5NqY2pgR4iP-P9Ex3Wc/s1600/bulb+syringe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2n91dSlwJpnlAdKnuUTzeZbCciEwWg6JTFOnkV5kkpWe4TRgJYMsw51ChYAe_nx6gAZx69EoKzWyHICc_PfgPCsuz72xhVg_GF9pS1zdPyivyXdN1iSlt1QnX5NqY2pgR4iP-P9Ex3Wc/s200/bulb+syringe.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon baking soda</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8 oz. slightly warm tap water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using a bulb syringe or nasal rinse bottle, 3 squirts in each nostril while making a harsh "K" sound. Blow nose between squirts and do 2-3 times per day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Always use clean equipment for to spray inside the nasal cavity. Sterile, distilled or boiled (be sure to cool first!) is recommended to avoid dangerous contaminents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along this line, a <b>nasal spray containing xylitol </b>might be helpful. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol which breaks up the biofilm protecting bacteria and viruses and trapping environmental debris in the sinus cavity. An OTC nasal spray like Xlear can be helpful in clearing the sinuses, while also helping to keep them slightly lubricated and less susceptible to invasion by pathogens. For sinus infections or acute allergy symptoms, add a few drops of <b>goldenseal</b> tincture to the rinse solution. Goldenseal has astringent and anti-bacterial properties that are healing and soothing to the nasal passages.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">10. Herbal Steams</span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdldYJDYQ3sURfs2XxbBKsckXZ2p-YX69v9WoBJjpNPvYdviO2kMUB8hjBsc3gT-wj4QnQmlrMmItK21oPPj_Qp87leAxAkPymyWbwLoTteutlMLle7Y5BQDOXOD8whuiFWuynXoQmRwE/s1600/herbal+steam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdldYJDYQ3sURfs2XxbBKsckXZ2p-YX69v9WoBJjpNPvYdviO2kMUB8hjBsc3gT-wj4QnQmlrMmItK21oPPj_Qp87leAxAkPymyWbwLoTteutlMLle7Y5BQDOXOD8whuiFWuynXoQmRwE/s200/herbal+steam.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">These are a wonderful, relaxing way of clearing sinus congestion. Put some <b>fresh aromatic herbs (like rosemary, thyme or eucalyptus, sage, cedar, juniper berries, even mint)</b> in a medium to large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil & let simmer for 5 minutes (Do not boil for more than five minutes or you'll lose the aromatic quality of the herbs.) (Alternatively heat water and add a few drops of aromatic essential oils.) Remove the pot from heat. Be sure to </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">allow the water to cool sufficiently that you don't burn your face!</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> Sit at a table with your head over the steaming pot. Cover your head with a towel. Breathe the warm vapors into your nose & lungs for up to 20 minutes. Enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The <b>Chinese pharmacopoeia</b> has lots of <b>wonderful</b> <b>aromatic herbs</b> that are great for steaming, including schizonepeta (<i>jing jie</i>), siler (<i>fang feng</i>), Chinese angelica root (<i>bai zhi</i>), magnolia buds (<i>xin yi hua</i>), xanthium buds (<i>cang er zi</i>), and more. These herbs clear the sinuses, clear the bronchioles and relax & tone the lungs. Other herbs can be added to address specific symptoms (ear pain, coughing, etc.) <b>I love prescribing steaming formulas for my patients.</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><b>Quercetin</b> is a natural chemical, a plant-derived antioxidant flavenoid, found in many foods. Quercetin has been shown to</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"> stabilize mast cells, thus slowing the release of histamine and other chemicals related to allergic symptoms. Quercetin may be taken as a supplement. Also, consider increasing your intake of quercetin-rich foods (such as <b>citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, broccoli, lettuce and black/green tea</b>.) </span><span style="background-color: white;">Quercetin is absorbed better when taken in combination with <b>bromelain</b>, a natural, protein-digesting enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties, derived from pineapples.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">12. Acupuncture</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbDZCNZhPQtnOCB2QRzeXX7qXHV-OSt3SLSTiyqQkdidj4uwm7gwM8CenqDK_279VR5DjWNg0AStyKx4aEvVqouW009rNCVk78ar-L2tiBSi0jY6IsUI3O1c7iHgVisDIyF5qIvL0Fik/s1600/acupuncture+points+for+allergies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbDZCNZhPQtnOCB2QRzeXX7qXHV-OSt3SLSTiyqQkdidj4uwm7gwM8CenqDK_279VR5DjWNg0AStyKx4aEvVqouW009rNCVk78ar-L2tiBSi0jY6IsUI3O1c7iHgVisDIyF5qIvL0Fik/s200/acupuncture+points+for+allergies.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/research-acupunture-chinese-herbs.html">Research</a> shows that acupuncture reduces allergy symptoms.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>I've seen acupuncture provide immediate symptomatic relief in one session.</b> I recently gave a quick, simple acupuncture treatment to a woman who'd been suffering from pretty significant allergies. When I saw her a month later, she told me that her allergies had gone away during the treatment and had not recurred since then.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Treatment plans for allergies vary, and the possible results range from temporary relief to complete remission. Gentle manipulation of points around the nose, such as Yintang, Bitong and Large Intestine 20, with massage or very fine needles, usually relieve nasal congestion and sneezing as soon as the needles are inserted. Points on the chest can open the bronchioles, alleviate chest tightness, wheezing, coughing and postnasal drip. Points on the arms and legs are often used to bolster Spleen and Lung Qi, addressing weaknesses underlying propensity to allergies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Link to further reading:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/relieve-allergies-with-chinese-medicine.html">Relieve Allergies Naturally with Chinese Medicine</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/02/sinusitis-acupuncture-herbs-self.html"><b>Sinusitis: Acupuncture, Herbs & Self-Treatment Tips</b></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>For allergy relief, call 510-495-5752 or email stephanie@stephaniedoucette.com, to learn more about how Chinese medicine can help.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Western herbalist Kami McBride's "<a href="http://www.livingawareness.com/ArticleDetail.aspx?hArticle=1">Ten Steps to Reducing Your Allergies.</a>"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">Dr. Mercola's article "</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/18/allergy-season.aspx?e_cid=20130418_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130418ProdTest2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">How to Reduce Allergy and Asthma Symptoms.</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">"</span></span></span></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-35035934209823592622013-04-15T11:53:00.004-07:002013-04-22T00:34:38.343-07:00Relieve Allergies Naturally with Chinese Medicine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k_t3GQW0nvSqmXGFUhfFe-5ONb8DNOAbaQ_eU8biHFUv3zQF8_vMQEuR7_zeTXU6qhF4Xvcnd7UOeB9lQ2_DJCbIytuFAfSik080-JbzSDnaXgkQHLrjNi_O625S2lHFtQ2zSadM6YE/s1600/allergies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k_t3GQW0nvSqmXGFUhfFe-5ONb8DNOAbaQ_eU8biHFUv3zQF8_vMQEuR7_zeTXU6qhF4Xvcnd7UOeB9lQ2_DJCbIytuFAfSik080-JbzSDnaXgkQHLrjNi_O625S2lHFtQ2zSadM6YE/s1600/allergies.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>T</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">here's nothing like seasonal allergies</span> to dampen your enjoyment of springtime. Fortunately, <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/research-acupunture-chinese-herbs.html"><b>research has shown</b></a>, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can safely and effectively prevent and relieve allergy symptoms.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;">What Are Allergies?</span></b></h3>
Allergies are overreactions of the immune system to normally harmless substances in the environment, such as dust, pollen, animal dander and foods. When an allergic person's immune system is triggered by an allergen, it causes inflammation, which is the body's attempt to eject this substance from the system. The severity of an allergic reaction can vary from simple eye itching, sneezing, and runny nose; to skin reactions such as eczema or hives; to even life-threatening constriction of the airways.<br />
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Increasing numbers of people suffer from allergies. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis, for example, is now estimated to be between 10 and 20% in developed countries. Allergic rhinitis and mild allergy symptoms are usually treated with antihistamine or decongestant medicines and sometimes with steroid medicines. These often cause unwanted and even harmful side effects, and do not address the root causes of the condition.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">How & Why Do Allergies Develop?</span></h3>
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Allergies are your body's reaction to allergens (particle your body considers foreign), a sign that your immune system is working overtime. The first time your body encounters an allergen, your plasma cells release IgE (immunoglobulin E), an antibody specific to that allergen. IgE attaches to the surface of your mast cells.</div>
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Mast cells are found in great numbers in your surface tissues (i.e., those with close proximity to the external environment, such as in your skin and in the mucous membranes of your nose) and in the digestive tract, where they help mediate inflammatory responses. Mast cells release a number of important chemical mediators, one of which is histamine.</div>
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So, the second time your body encounters a particular allergen, within a few minutes, your mast cells become activated and release a powerful cocktail of histamine, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins, which trigger the entire cascade of symptoms you associate with allergies: sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat, cough, itchy eyes, etc.</div>
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Histamine can cause your airways to constrict, like asthma, or cause blood vessels to become more permeable, leading to fluid leakage or hives. Leukotrienes cause hypersecretion of mucous, which you commonly experience as a runny nose or increased phlegm. </div>
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Pollen is an extremely common mast cell activator, but other agents can trigger these processes as well. Mold spores, dust, airborne contaminants dust mites, pet dander, cockroaches, environmental chemicals, cleaning products, personal care products and foods can all cause allergic reactions. Every person is different in what he or she reacts to. And, just because you haven't reacted to something in the past doesn't mean you won't react to it in the future --- you can become desensitized at any point in time.</div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Traditional Chinese Medicine View of Allergies</span></h3>
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<b>Acute Symptoms:</b></div>
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Several Chinese medicine patterns of disharmony may be involved in cases of allergies. <b>Wind</b> is always part of the diagnosis. Typical of patterns involving wind, allergy symptoms often occur without warning. Wind usually combines with another pathogenic influence in wind-dampness, wind-cold, or wind-heat. <b>Wind-dampness </b>produces symptoms like sneezing, itching sensation in eyes and throat, a heavy sensation in the head and copious mucous. If <b>cold</b> is involved as a pathogenic factor, there maybe runny nose, clear mucous, headache and stiff neck and back. <b>Heat</b> involvement will produce red, itchy eyes; thick, yellow mucous; and maybe a headache.</div>
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<b>Underlying Imbalances:</b></div>
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Typically, an underlying weakness, often a <b>deficiency of Lung</b> and <b>Spleen Qi</b>, makes people with allergies susceptible to allergic reactions. <b>Lung Qi</b> is responsible for the proper function of the entire respiratory tract, including the nasal passages. <b>Spleen Qi</b> controls the transport of fluids in the body. When the Spleen is impaired, weakening digestive function, it can lead to an overproduction of mucous, which tends to collect in the lungs.<br />
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<b>The goal of the acupuncturist</b> is to develop a plan which relieves the patient's acute symptoms, while addressing the immune system imbalance at the root of the person's allergy problems.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Treatment with Chinese Herbs</span></h3>
<div>
<b>Acute Symptoms:</b><br />
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The primary treatment strategy to alleviate allergy symptoms is to repel <b>wind</b> with herbs that are spicy and dispersing in nature. Some of the most popular wind-herbs are Japanese catnip, or <i>Schizonepeta tenuifolie (</i><i>jing jie</i>) and <i>Siler divaricata (fang feng.) </i>Household herbs like scallions & ginger root (for <b>wind-cold</b>) and peppermint leaf and chrysanthemum flower (for <b>wind-heat</b>) also help repel wind from the body, but not as effectively as <i>fang feng </i>& <i>jing jie.</i><br />
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A TCM herbalist will customize each formula to meet each patient's individual needs. For example, magnolia buds (<i>xin yi hua</i>) and xanthium fuit (<i>cang er zi</i>) are common herbs used to open stuffed nasal passages. Chrysanthemum flowers <i>(ju hua</i>) and cassia seeds (<i>jue ming zi</i>) can be added to sooth itchy eyes. Perilla seeds (<i>zi su zi</i>) or platycodon (<i>jie geng</i>) can alleviate chest tightness, open the bronchioles, alleviate cough and wheezing and clear phlegm from the lungs.<br />
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<b>Prevention:</b><br />
The weakness of Qi underlying seasonal allergies is treated with herbs that bolster Lung and Spleen function, such as codonopsis (<i>dang shen</i>), atractylodes (<i>bai zhu</i>), and honey-roasted licorice (<i>zhi gan cao</i>).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDGC03yWC4b5dAdXrH-z5jsGEQsO99kpSCw-Bo0ELOFbWW3mOLKSNfn_QHhgPBDpRN8vVG7YQrTCO3KTfm3blP6zengbw_1LGvQCFP5rUNwmrC4tpq7o0sjIZ7OxWG0ji8jo-5pUaR24/s1600/liu+jun+zi+tang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDGC03yWC4b5dAdXrH-z5jsGEQsO99kpSCw-Bo0ELOFbWW3mOLKSNfn_QHhgPBDpRN8vVG7YQrTCO3KTfm3blP6zengbw_1LGvQCFP5rUNwmrC4tpq7o0sjIZ7OxWG0ji8jo-5pUaR24/s1600/liu+jun+zi+tang.jpg" /></a></div>
A classic formula for toning the immune system is Jade Windscreen (<i>yu ping feng san</i>), containing two herbs to bolster Lung and Spleen--astragalus root (<i>huang qi</i>) and atractylodes (<i>bai zhu</i>)-- and one herb to repel wind--siler (<i>fang feng</i>).<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Another useful formula for allergy prevention is Six Gentlemen Decocotion (</span><i style="text-align: center;">liu jun zi tang</i><span style="text-align: center;">). This formula bolsters the Spleen and Lung AND contains to medicinals, pinellia (</span><i style="text-align: center;">ban xia</i><span style="text-align: center;">) and aged citrus peel (</span><i style="text-align: center;">chen pi</i><span style="text-align: center;">), which enhance the base formula's ability to clear mucous and dry dampness.</span><br />
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Again, a TCM herbalist will customize each formula to meet a patient's individual needs.<br />
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<h3>
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Treatment with Acupuncture</span></b></h3>
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Acupuncture frequently relieves allergy symptoms immediately. Treatment plans for allergies vary, and the possible results range from temporary relief to complete remission. Gentle manipulation of points around the nose, such as Yintang, Bitong and Large Intestine 20, with massage or very fine needles, usually relieve nasal congestion and sneezing as soon as the needles are inserted. Points on the chest can open the bronchioles, alleviate chest tightness, wheezing, coughing and postnasal drip. Points on the arms and legs are often used to bolster Spleen and Lung Qi, addressing weaknesses underlying propensity to allergies.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Links to Related Articles:</span></h3>
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<b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/research-acupunture-chinese-herbs.html">Research: Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Effective in Relieving Allergies</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2012/02/sinusitis-acupuncture-herbs-self.html">Sinusitis: Acupuncture, Herbs & Self-Treatment Tips</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/featured-acupuncture-point-gallbladder.html" target="_blank">Acupuncture Point: Gallbladder 20, "Wind Pool," for Allergies, Headache, Sinusitis & More</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/common-chinese-patent-herbal-formulas.html" target="_blank"><b>Common Chinese Patent Herbal Formulas for Allergy Relief & Prevention</b></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reference:</span><br />
<a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/18/allergy-season.aspx?e_cid=20130418_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130418ProdTest2"><span style="font-size: x-small;">mercola.com: "How to Address Allergies & Asthma..."</span></a></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-64277834457892079032013-04-12T11:25:00.001-07:002013-04-20T07:04:39.512-07:00Research: Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Effective in Relieving Allergies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-1J5Nyr0ThU-zqu1sr6fIf0-6hedmPyeEcMHxw66xNBxyn0kKj6RDj79YwwKsObN8rc5MQq-VHtJK8ycL7fsSWHkK-sGj257UbpYZw3QEqMqKlN1J9Vv0rAt27QZfPpc5KaS43w2lco/s1600/allergies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-1J5Nyr0ThU-zqu1sr6fIf0-6hedmPyeEcMHxw66xNBxyn0kKj6RDj79YwwKsObN8rc5MQq-VHtJK8ycL7fsSWHkK-sGj257UbpYZw3QEqMqKlN1J9Vv0rAt27QZfPpc5KaS43w2lco/s1600/allergies.jpg" /></a></div>
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A 2004 study published in the journal <i>Allergy</i> was the first to scientifically evaluate the <i>combined effect</i> of <i>both </i><b>acupuncture</b> <i>and </i><b>Chinese herbal medicine</b> on people with allergic rhinitis. The results of this study suggest that a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) protocol involving both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can benefit people with allergic rhinitis.<br />
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In this study, 52 people with allergic rhinitis were randomly assigned to receive either weekly acupuncture sessions and Chinese herbal medicine three times per day or placebo (sham acupuncture --insertion of needles into nonspecific points and nonspecific herbs) for six weeks. The people receiving treatment were given two herbal medicine formulas: one was a basic formula for allergies and the other was created for each individual, based on the person's Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis.<br />
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<b>TCM More Effective than Placebo in Alleviating Allergy Symptoms:</b><br />
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At the end of the study, <b>allergy severity</b> in people receiving treatment was <b>significantly lower</b> than in those receiving placebo. Nearly<b> 85%</b> of those in the TCM group improved while improvement was noted in only 40% of those getting placebo. By the end of the study period, the severity of hay fever was "significantly less pronounced in the TCM group" than in the control patients. Instances of remission (where patients reported no or very low symptoms) occurred twice as often in the TCM patients compared to patients in the control group.<br />
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<b>Lifestyle Improvements & Need for Less Meds with TCM:</b><br />
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The 2004 study also found that the TCM patients experienced higher levels of physical activity and improved psychological conditions compared to patients in the control group. Moreover, intake of anti-allergy drugs dropped dramatically among the TCM patients, compared to only a slight decrease in the control group.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Links:</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00540.x/full">Source: <i>Allergy (2004; 59: 953-60).</i></a></b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b><a href="http://www.bastyrcenter.org/content/view/307/">Article from Bastyr Center for Natural Health.</a></b><br />
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A study of 422 seasonal allergy sufferers, conducted in Berlin, Germany and published in the <i>Annals of Internal Medicine</i> earlier this year (2013), showed that <b>71%</b> of people who received acupuncture reported an improvement in their allergy symptoms after eight weeks of treatment. Study participants who used antihistamine medications as needed and did not receive acupuncture experienced markedly less improvement of symptoms. The study concluded, "<b>Acupuncture led to statistically significant improvements</b> in disease-specific quality of life and antihistamine use measures after 8 weeks of treatment compared with sham acupuncture and with RM [rescue medicine] alone..."<br />
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<h4>
<b>Links:</b></h4>
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<b><a href="https://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1583578">Source: <i>Annals of Internal Medicine</i>, February 19, 2013.</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/03/31/health/some-turn-to-acupuncture-to-relieve-symptoms.html">News Story in <i>The Columbus Dispatch</i>, March 31, 2013.</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/18/us-acupuncture-allergies-idUSBRE91H0QV20130218"><b>Report in Reuters, February 18, 2013.</b></a><br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-57778801585892348222013-04-12T02:54:00.002-07:002013-04-19T11:03:50.734-07:00Spring Food & Cooking Tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">pring</span></b></span> is the time when the <b>Yang energy</b> of the year begins its ascent after the dormant Yin of winter. In the traditional Chinese calendar, Spring begins in early February. Early Spring is a time of <b>quickening</b>. The<b> first pulses of life</b> are felt as the ground thaws and signs of<b> new green life</b> appear. Spring peaks at the equinox (March 21), with an abundance of blossoming trees, and finally ushers in Summer, the apex of Yang energy, in June.<br />
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In classical Chinese philosophy, Spring is associated with the element <b>wood</b>, meaning <b>growing plants</b>. The nature of plants is to <b>grow, expand and ascend in a quest for sunlight</b>. All plant life, though, begins with the <b>sprouting of tender seeds in dark soil</b>.<br />
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We humans tend to experience feelings of restlessness and heightened energy in the springtime. Our activity levels increase with the growing daylight hours. However, it's important to realize that our energy, like that of the new sprout, is still tender and delicate. For optimal health, <b>the transition from Yin to Yang should be made gradually</b>. Activity levels should be increased gradually; dietary changes made gradually. We should continue to keep ourselves warm and get adequate rest, especially in early spring.<br />
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Here are some food and cooking tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine to help our bodies<b> transition healthfully</b> from the dormancy of Winter, through the expansive energy of Springtime, and into Summer.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">1. Lighter Appetite:</span></b><br />
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Most popular Spring dietary advice centers on cleansing. <b>Cleansing</b> certainly has its place. Springtime rituals of fasting, self-abnegation, purgation exist in some form in most, if not all, traditional cultures and religions. Fasting or cleansing can certainly have health benefits, i.e. giving the digestive system (Liver, pancreas, etc.) a break. Perhaps I'll write more about cleansing regimens in future blogposts. But I'm also concerned that spring cleansing can be <b>faddish</b> and must, at best, be approached with thoughtfulness and caution.<br />
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What I<i> can</i> say for sure is that our <b>appetites naturally decrease</b> as the spring season progresses. It is good to follow these instincts when you experience them. Spring is a great time to eat less in order to cleanse the body of the heavier, richer and fattier foods of winter. In my experience, it may take some time for our dietary instincts to lighten up. We are still naturally sluggish in early spring. As the weather warms, it becomes easier and more natural to<b> lighten our diets</b>.<br />
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East Bay acupuncturist & food writer, Nishanga Bliss, L.Ac. adds these helpful thoughts: "Rather than embarking on a formal spring cleanse, simply<b> incorporating spring foods</b> into the diet <b>cleanses gently</b> and gets us in the mood for the rapid growth and movement of the warmer seasons."<br />
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As you incorporate more spring foods, also <b>decrease the proportion of heavy foods</b> in your meals. Don't abandon fat, by any means, but you can eat less meat, fewer heavy sauces. Spring is a good time to avoid fried foods and alcohol as these are particularly warming. Also, eat <b>less salty foods</b> (that includes miso, soy sauce, tamari), as the salty flavor has a descending energetic quality.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">2. Spring Foods:</span></b><br />
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So, what are <b>"spring foods"</b>? The energy of Spring is <b>light, ascending, and expansive</b>, like young plants. At least some of the foods we eat in Spring should embody these qualities. Here are some examples:<br />
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Begin including lots of tender <b><span style="color: #38761d;">fresh greens</span></b> into your diet. These include <b>arugula, beet, daikon and turnip greens; dandelion greens; kale and collard greens; mustard greens; Swiss chard; spinach and lettuce of all types</b>. By April, Bay Area farmers' markets are bursting with leafy greens.<br />
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<i>Early spring</i> is a great time to begin incorporating <b><span style="color: #38761d;">sprouts</span></b> into your diet. Sprouting seeds or legumes in your kitchen is pretty easy. Here's a <a href="http://gastronicity.blogspot.com/2011/02/sprouting-spring.html"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">link</span></b></a> to basic sprouting instructions on Nishanga Bliss' gastronicity blog. Helpful sprouting starter kits can be found in health food stores.<br />
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If you're especially hardy and adventurous, consider incorporating <b><span style="color: #38761d;">wild green edibles</span></b> like <b>chickweed, dandelion, miner's lettuce, plantain </b>and<b> nettles</b> that are growing in the East Bay hills and on the margins of our gardens right now. Here's a <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-recipe-nettle-soup.html"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">recipe</span></b></a> for nettle soup.<br />
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Look out for fresh <b>green garlic, spring onions, scallions</b> and <b>young leeks</b> as these <b><span style="color: #38761d;">shoots</span></b> are are full of spring energy. These make great garnishes for any dish, either sprinkled on raw or sauteed in butter or olive oil. Speaking of delicious garnishes, don't forget to sprinkle lots of <b><span style="color: #38761d;">fresh green herbs</span></b> over your meals and into your sautes: <b>rosemary, thyme, marjoram, peppermint, dill, fennel, etc. </b>Not only do the fresh, spicy, green shoots and herbs match the energy of the season; they are anti-microbial and cleansing to the body as well.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">3. Don't abandon the root veggies just yet!</span></b><br />
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Remember that in traditional agrarian societies, until quite recently, in fact, fresh fruits and vegetables were in short supply (usually unattainable) in winter. Households depended on<b> root vegetables</b> from last fall's harvest, along with pickles and preserves and a few fresh sprouts, to get them through early spring. <b>Root veggies</b> are abundant in our early spring farmers' markets: <b>turnips, rutabagas, beets, carrots, parsnips, celery root, kohlrabi. </b>They are high in minerals and tend to alkalinize the body and have a lower glycemic index than starches. Eat root vegetables, boiled and pureed with butter, or lightly roasted, <b style="font-style: italic;">in place of grains.</b> Grate raw root veggies over salad greens and season with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">4. Fermented Foods</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></b>Along with stored root vegetables, traditional agrarian households also depended, during the early Spring months, on vegetables that had been preserved for storage through fermentation processes.<br />
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Fermented foods like raw sauerkraut or lacto-fermented pickles are full of health benefits and a traditional part of spring diets. It's great to eat a bit of <b>fermented food</b> at every meal. Because they're so beneficial to digestion--they're full of enzymes and beneficial bactera-- they'll lighten the load on your digestive organs, facilitating your body's natural spring cleaning process.<br />
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If you'd like to start making your own fermented food at home, raw sauerkraut is a great way to start experimenting. Here's an<b> <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/recipe-raw-sauerkraut-for-gut-health.html">easy sauerkraut recipe.</a></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">5. The <i>Flavors</i> of Spring</span></b><br />
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Classical Chinese philosophy associates the flavor <b>sour</b> with the Spring season and the Liver organ. Indeed, sourness is said to guide food to the Liver where it counteracts the effects of rich, greasy food, functioning as a solvent and breaking down fats and protein. Sourness helps in digestion to dissolve minerals for improved assimilation. At the same time, an excess of sour foods is said to weaken the Liver. Some great ways to incorporate a helpful <i>(small) </i>amount of sour food into your springtime diet is to garnish your greens with a bit of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.<br />
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Revered sixteenth-century Chinese herbalist Li Shi Zhen (best known for his writings on digestion and assimilation in relation to health and healing) recommended using <b>sweet</b> and <b>pungent (mildly spicy)</b> foods and medicinals to attune one's body to the spring season. Indeed, mildly sweet and pungent food possess those yang-natured light, ascending and expansive qualities. And indeed, all those spring garnish foods --- sprouts, root vegies, garlic shoots, fresh herbs possess combine sweetness and pungency. A perfect spring drink is <b>peppermint tea with a bit honey</b>. Or mix a bit of <b>honey and fresh green herbs</b> into your <b>cider vinegar</b> or <b>lemon juice-based</b> salad garnish.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">6. Shorter Cooking Times</span></b><br />
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Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends less intensively-warming cooking methods during the warmer seasons. Try light steaming, minimal simmering and minimal sauteeing, as opposed to baking, roasting, and frying --- cooking techniques advised for the winter months. Nutritionist Paul Pitchford adds, "In the Spring, food is best cooked for a shorter time but at higher temperatures; in this way the food is not as thoroughly cooked, especially the inner part."<br />
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Some folks begin incorporating more <b>raw food</b> into their springtime diets. Chinese medicine cautions against eating a lot of raw food because it taxes the digestive system. <b>Small amounts</b> of raw food can be light and cooling, especially beneficial if your constitution is hot. I recommend incorporating raw food only as the weather warms significantly, in late spring and summer, but not if you're sick or weak; only in <b>small amounts</b>; and always <b>balanced with something warming</b> -- i.e. warm bone broth; a garnish of grated raw ginger, sauteed garlic or onions; and/or some fermented food to aid digestion.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;">May all your springtime meals match the delicate sweetness of these spring months!</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b><i>Links to more articles by Stephanie on Spring Health:</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/ten-lifestyle-tips-for-spring-wellness.html">Ten Lifestyles Tips for Spring Wellness</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/7-great-herb-teas-for-spring.html">Eight Easy Herbal Teas for Spring</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-liver-in-traditional-chinese.html">The Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-recipe-nettle-soup.html">Spring Recipe: Nettle Soup</a></b></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nishanga Bliss, L.Ac.<i> website: </i><a href="http://gastronicity.blogspot.com/">http://gastronicity.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Paul Pitchford.<i> Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions & Modern Nutrition.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Penelope Ody. <i>The Chinese Herbal Cookbook: Healing Foods from East & West.</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Elson M. Haas, M.D. <i>Staying Healthy with the Seasons.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lectures by Liu Ming, Oakland, CA. www.dayuancircle.org.</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-72724550993973756472013-04-08T11:51:00.002-07:002013-04-12T04:02:35.671-07:00The Liver in Traditional Chinese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">n Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Spring season </span>is associated with the <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Liver</b></span> and its paired organ the <b>Gallbladder</b>. Natural medicine systems from both east & west concur that Spring is an important time to attend to the health of the liver. To better understand what this really means, let's take a look at the roles that the Liver and Gallbladder play in the human body, according to Chinese medicine.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Note: The names of organs are often capitalized in western-language discussions of Traditional Chinese Medicine, i.e. Liver, Gallbladder. This is because the "organ"-name in Chinese medicine does not directly equal the anatomical organ, but rather a "system" or set of essential physiological, mental and emotional functions and qualities associated with that organ.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span><span style="font-size: large;">irst,</span></span> to highlight some remarkable facts about the liver from a <span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">western biomedical perspective</span></b><span style="font-size: large;">:</span></span><br />
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Weighing about four pounds, the liver is our second largest organ (the skin is the largest). Not only is it big -- it's also BUSY, delivering a multitude of essential functions.<br />
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Among its contributions, the liver metabolizes food, stores vitamins and minerals, makes and breaks down hormones, controls blood sugar levels, synthesizes and regulates cholesterol, contributes to the immune system, generates bile, and detoxifies our blood.<br />
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Every day the liver:<br />
<ul>
<li>manufactures 13,000 different chemicals</li>
<li>manages 2000 internal enzyme systems</li>
<li>filters 100 gallons of blood, and</li>
<li>produces 1 quart of bile.</li>
</ul>
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The detoxification functions of the liver protect us from the damaging effects of the many toxic compounds we are exposed to every day. Some of these compounds are the natural by-products of our metabolic processes. Others come from processed foods, disease processes in our body, alcohol, medications, chemical pollutants, etc. </div>
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Stress, toxins and lifestyle factors take their toll on the liver, with liver cells losing structural and functional integrity over time. (Extreme examples are fatty liver disease often, associated with diabetes and obesity, and cirrhosis associated with hepatitis viruses.) At the same time, the liver is resilient. Even after 70% of its mass has been destroyed or removed, the organ can still function, albeit with decreased effectiveness. If the conditions that caused the destruction have been removed or corrected, the liver can usually bounce back. (<a href="http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/understanding-cirrhosis-basic-information">Source.</a>) This motivates us to care for our livers by means of diet, lifestyle choices, and holistic medicine. As mentioned above, Spring is a great time to do that.<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">N</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">ow, </span>let's turn our attention to the<br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>perspective on the Liver:</b></span><br />
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The Liver's primary responsibility, in TCM theory, is to maintain a <b>smooth flow of energy throughout the body</b>.<br />
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Nutritionist Paul Pitchford writes,<br />
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<i>"Traditional Chinese Physiology tells us that the healthy liver establishes a smooth and soothing flow of energy through the whole system, in both body and mind. When the liver is harmonious, there is never stress or tension. People with vital livers are calm; they also have unerring judgement and can be naturally effective as leaders and decision-makers."</i><br />
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Indeed, the Liver is poetically associated with qualities like courage, ambition, decision-making and strategic leadership. At the same time, the Liver is thought to be a <b>moody organ</b>. Of all the body's systems, the Liver system is the most easily injured by the demands and stresses of <b>modern life, environmental toxins, excessive computer work </b>and<b> screen-time</b>, etc. When affected by stress or emotional excess, the Liver is prone to become <b>congested</b> and the <b>flow of energy through the body stagnant</b>. Liver is also prone to becoming <b>deficient of Blood</b>, particularly due to poor nutrient intake or lack of sleep. These two patterns, <b>Liver congestion-Qi stagnation</b> and <b>Liver Blood vacuity</b> are at the root of many prevalent chronic diseases.<br />
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When your acupuncturist suspects Liver imbalance at the root of your symptoms, he/she will look for confirming signs (related to Liver and Gallbladder organ and meridian pathologies):<br />
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<ul>
<li>digestive troubles</li>
<li>sleep problems</li>
<li>headaches</li>
<li>dry/red eyes or blurry vision</li>
<li>allergies</li>
<li>irritability, depression, anger</li>
<li>moods swings</li>
<li>tinnitus, ear infections</li>
<li>PMS, menstrual cramps</li>
<li>neck and shoulder pain/ TMJ</li>
<li>pain or discomfort in the area of the ribs</li>
<li>tendon/ligament injuries, muscle spasms or cramps</li>
<li>certain hormonal imbalances, particularly in relation to cyclical transitions.</li>
</ul>
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Here is more detail about the functions of the Liver in Chinese medicine:<br />
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<b>1. The Liver Stores Blood:</b><br />
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The Liver stores Blood and regulates the volume of Blood in the body at any one time. When the body is active, Blood is said to flow to the muscles and sinews; when the body is at rest, the Blood is said to return to the Liver.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Note: 'Blood' is a capital-B, as a Chinese medicine concept, both encompasses and is somewhat different from its meaning in western medicine. It is a dense, material form of Qi with functions of nourishing and moistening all body tissues and organs and providing the material foundations for the Mind.)</span><br />
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This pattern has important implications for our overall health. When we rest at night, the Blood is said to be refreshed and renewed and our energy restored. (This bares some relation to the western anatomical concept of the liver's role in filtering and cleansing our blood.) When Blood flows to the tissues of the body, it nourishes and irrigates them. Proper quality and circulation of Blood is essential to our overall energy, immune function, mental and emotional regulation, quality of sleep, etc.<br />
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<b>One of the most important things we can do </b>for the health of our Liver and the quality of our Blood, from a Chinese medicine perspective, is to<b> maintain a regular night-time sleep schedule.</b> Specifically, the hours when the Blood returns to the Liver are <b>11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m</b>. These are the most important hours to get deep sleep. It is a good idea to go to bed by 10:30 p.m. in order to be soundly asleep by 11:00 p.m.<br />
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The Liver's function in relation to Blood storage and Qi circulation give it a primary role in regulating a woman's <b>menstrual cycle</b>. Most <b>menstrual</b> irregularities (amenorrhea, irregular cycles, PMS, painful cycles, etc.) are rooted in Liver Qi or Blood imbalances. By extension, the Liver has a close relationship to the uterus and to a woman's <b>reproductive health</b>. (I hope to elaborate on these issues in future posts.)<br />
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The Liver has a special relationship with the eyes and the sinews (ligaments and tendons). Specifically the<br />
Liver Blood nourishes and moistens these tissues. <b>Dry, blurry or inflammed eyes</b> result from specific Liver imbalances as do <b>muscle cramps</b> or <b>lack of flexibility</b>. <b>Skin conditions</b> such as hives, rashes, or excema are sometimes rooted in poor quality Blood resulting from Liver dysfunction. The quality of the <b>finger & toenails</b> also relates to the quality of Liver Blood. Ridged, dry, brittle and cracked nails are a result of Liver Blood deficiency.<br />
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<b>2. The Liver Ensures the Smooth Flow of Qi</b><br />
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This is the most important of the Liver's functions and it is central to nearly all patterns of Liver dysfunction. The concept of <b>"smooth flow of Qi"</b> is subtle and difficult for the western-trained mind to understand. Yet, the impairment of this function of "smoothly flowing Qi" is one of the most common patterns seen in clinical practice.<br />
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The Chinese words for this function are "<i>shu</i> <i>xie,</i>" meaning to <b>"flow, dredge, disperse, scatter,"</b> and to <b>"let out, discharge, release, vent,"</b> respectively. We can think of this function in relation to circulation of vital energy in the body, as well as to the body's energy to <b>disperse tension, release excess energy, and to moderate extremes</b>.<br />
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The Liver's influence on the flow of Qi ensures that all the other organs' physiological function flow in a <b>proper direction</b>: i.e. the Lung descends Qi, oxygen, fluids; the Stomach descends food nutrients; the Spleen is said to raise clear energy to the head; etc.<br />
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Remember that the Liver corresponds to the element Wood, with its expansive movement in all directions.<br />
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The smooth flow of Qi is strongly related to <b>emotional health</b>, ensuring emotional balance, resilience and happiness. If the Liver's function is impaired and the circulation of Qi obstructed, the result on an emotional level is <b>frustration, depression, repressed anger, </b>and a<b> "pent-up" feeling,</b> often accompanied by physical symptoms such as rib-area or abdominal distension, a sense of oppression in the chest or a feeling of a 'lump' in the throat.<br />
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The smooth flow of Liver Qi also assists <b>digestion</b>. Liver dysfunction and Qi stagnation can hamper the digestive functions of the Stomach and Spleen resulting in a range of symptoms including <b>acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, IBS and gastrointestinal disorders like colitis and crohn's disease. </b><br />
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Finally, the smooth flow of Liver Qi affects the flow of bile in the body. A healthy Liver and smooth flow of Qi ensures proper secretion of bile and good digestion. Obstruction of bile results in bitter taste, belching, jaundice and/or the inability to digest fats.<br />
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<b>3. Spiritual Aspects of the Liver</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
In TCM, there is no rigid division between body and mind or spirit. The health of each organ system has a specific relationship to a certain aspect of mental, emotional and spiritual health.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Liver Houses the Ethereal Soul</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The Ethereal Soul, called the <i>Hun</i> in Chinese, is the mental-spiritual aspect of the Liver. The Ethereal Soul relates to our capacity for <b>planning our life</b> and finding a <b>sense of direction in life</b>. Strong Liver-Blood, in particular, keeps us firmly rooted and helps us plan our life with wisdom and vision. If our Liver Blood is weak, we lack a sense of direction in life. The Ethereal Soul is also said to be the source of<b> life dreams, visions, aims, projects, inspiration, creativity, and ideas. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Liver is in Charge of Planning & Strategy</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">The nature of wood (plants) is to spread upward and outward in their quest for light. Representing the wood element in our body, the Liver is responsible, on a physical level, for the movement of Qi and Blood throughout our body. On a social-emotional level, the Liver helps a person spread his/her influence through society. Individuals with strong Qi and Liver Blood tend to make excellent strategic planners and decision-makers (decision-making is officially the domain of the Liver's partner organ, the Gallbaldder). </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">If, however, this tough and determined spreading nature of the liver is not in a state of harmonious balance with the softer side of liver wood-ease, smoothness, flexibility-the wood-endangering state of rigidity arises.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><b>The Liver is Affected by Anger</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Anger (also frustration, resentment, repressed anger and rage) is the emotion associated with the Liver. Like any emotion that is out of balance, anger can have negative mental and physical health affects. In TCM, we say that repressed anger causes Liver congestion Qi stagnation; whereas expressed anger often causes syndromes known as Liver-Yang rising or Liver-fire. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Anger and Liver pathology are mutually-reinforcing. Anger can weaken the Liver's function over time and Liver pathology can cause symptoms of anger and irritability.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
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<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Any dysfunction in the various Liver functions listed above (storing of Blood, regulation of Qi, regulation of emotions) can also lead to syndromes of excess in the Liver. These include </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">wind-heat (external heat) entering the liver<span style="font-weight: normal;"> channel causes red, swollen, or painful eyes. </span>Upflaring liver fire<span style="font-weight: normal;"> may also produce red eyes. </span>Hyperactivity of liver yang<span style="font-weight: normal;"> manifests in upwardly mobile symptoms, especially hypertension and dizziness. </span>Liver-wind (internal wind)<span style="font-weight: normal;"> may produce seizures, tremors or tics. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify; text-indent: 2em;">Cold pathogens <span style="font-weight: normal;">have a coagulating affect on the liver channel causing abdominal pain or hernia-like symptoms.</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify; text-indent: 2em;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So, how do practitioners of Chinese medicine treat the Liver? Western naturopathic practitioners tend to emphasize cleansing the Liver in springtime. Indeed, from a Chinese medicine perspective, Liver imbalances tend to arise or be exacerbated in springtime. Cleansing, per se, is not emphasized in Chinese medicine. Rather, a practitioner of Chinese medicine carefully assesses all of a patients symptoms in order to determine a pattern or pattern of imbalances. If sufficient signs and symptoms point to Liver imbalance, we carefully determine the nature of that imabalance, and then use acupuncture, herbs, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and other modalities to rebalance the Liver & support the body's healing. Indeed, many modern diseases are rooted in Liver imbalance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><b>Remember, from an eastern or western perspective, Liver health is essential to emotional ease, health and longevity. Spring is an optimal time to attend to the health of the Liver with acupuncture and herbal medicine.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>See also these articles by Stephanie for practical tips for Spring/Liver health:</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/ten-lifestyle-tips-for-spring-wellness.html"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Ten Lifestyle Tips for Spring Wellness</b></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/7-great-herb-teas-for-spring.html">Eight Easy Herbal Teas for Spring</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/spring-food-cooking-tips_12.html">Spring Food & Cooking Tips</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><br /></b></span>
<a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-recipe-nettle-soup.html"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Spring Recipe: Nettle Soup</b></span></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Macciocia, Giovanni. <i>The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists.</i> Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone, 2005.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ptichford, Paul. <i>Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions & Modern Nutrition.</i> Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2002.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Institute for Traditional Medicine's website: <a href="http://www.itmonline.org/5organs/liver.htm">http://www.itmonline.org/5organs/liver.htm</a></span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-59712893911964613432013-03-27T16:26:00.001-07:002013-03-27T16:32:32.630-07:00Spring Recipe: Nettle Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zQ8FBnyS5Dyjmt-894z8koWzMxFRsCFTrfspZoxMljWg9zGmbysWlDXoiLmmHPnANcGfcW7gd-od1dITrPD_hin0g1nPh13wvTMYaDM57KLrwmz6wfe-7zHOY68fYS0G04vWXE5ayWY/s1600/nettles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zQ8FBnyS5Dyjmt-894z8koWzMxFRsCFTrfspZoxMljWg9zGmbysWlDXoiLmmHPnANcGfcW7gd-od1dITrPD_hin0g1nPh13wvTMYaDM57KLrwmz6wfe-7zHOY68fYS0G04vWXE5ayWY/s1600/nettles.jpg" /></a></div>
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Traditional Chinese nutritional theory advises us to include in our springtime diet foods that match the energetic quality of spring: light, energetic, ascending, expansive. That means it's a great time of year to incorporate fresh greens, young plants and sprouts into our meals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0_v5jsRurnym_gMLDAT6jFYFsPoD5g9_HkBLoGQUc3FJWfjzLvaGML4DX_AuJNy4WaHbKtXMSefOtqkHL1oLZqvgJmKPgau9NNhn7jnJ4j_MgQewkANlyUUJw5anuo_8NLYa6yDckGQ/s1600/chickweed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0_v5jsRurnym_gMLDAT6jFYFsPoD5g9_HkBLoGQUc3FJWfjzLvaGML4DX_AuJNy4WaHbKtXMSefOtqkHL1oLZqvgJmKPgau9NNhn7jnJ4j_MgQewkANlyUUJw5anuo_8NLYa6yDckGQ/s200/chickweed.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chickweed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-size: large;">f you're especially hardy</span></b>, you can forage fresh greens like chickweed, dandelion, and miner's lettuce growing wild in the East Bay hills right now. These can be incorporated into soups and salads; but please forage respectfully and not from areas where the soil or surrounding air may be contaminated.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">N</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">ettles</span></b> are a favorite springtime plant that can be harvested or found at farmer's markets at this time of year. (Be sure to wear gloves when working with them because they sting!)<br />
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The following recipe is adapted from British author Penelope Ody's book <i>The Chinese Herbal Cookbook: Healing Foods from East & West. </i>If you can't find nettles, you can use any fresh leafy green vegetables in place of nettles.<br />
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<i></i><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">bout nettles,</span></b></span> Ody writes:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OuQM2Dse-YJFtv4JFUM3qJoeFYhqzgFTkh05vSnI6la0Q7aW4ffaYhNKonraD8XBrpTGcnW2vEm9v6H0hZHD4ZZOiHCQivw49pLEz7AVr-VZ_-XFVIhhdtF7NSv5h2nGuAB1JcqoSi4/s1600/chickweed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OuQM2Dse-YJFtv4JFUM3qJoeFYhqzgFTkh05vSnI6la0Q7aW4ffaYhNKonraD8XBrpTGcnW2vEm9v6H0hZHD4ZZOiHCQivw49pLEz7AVr-VZ_-XFVIhhdtF7NSv5h2nGuAB1JcqoSi4/s200/chickweed2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chickweed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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"Nettle soup is a classic spring cleanser eaten for generations in Europe as a healthy tonic full of vitamins and minerals to help strengthen the body after a long winter.<br />
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Winter diets are no longer so deprived, but eating nettles in spring is still an excellent way to cleanse the system. Nettles act as a purifier for the blood, clearing toxins, lowering blood pressure and with a diuretic action to help flush the system.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk8ZKLhJTqHnpHpL35BAyivD6ZKQRm_jD8UDXq2gUbY8zqHnhEzyrTuIW_tEv6r2daslPVax4VxMJEO9CqKMmiUg_xXrT-mMNfjhq67aTirEX_Vfr2X5zhxptvYa0rG3ZDZZ_acXtFio/s1600/miner's+lettuce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk8ZKLhJTqHnpHpL35BAyivD6ZKQRm_jD8UDXq2gUbY8zqHnhEzyrTuIW_tEv6r2daslPVax4VxMJEO9CqKMmiUg_xXrT-mMNfjhq67aTirEX_Vfr2X5zhxptvYa0rG3ZDZZ_acXtFio/s200/miner's+lettuce.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">miner's lettuce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Stinging nettles are a common weed generally found on neglected wasteland, in compost heaps or in hedgerows. When the plants first come up in spring, they can be difficult to distinguish from other common weeds. If you pull up the plants the roots are a characteristic dark yellow; if still in doubt, confirm by touching the plant with your bare fingers -- the stings are very mild in the early spring....<br />
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Nettle soup should really only be made in the spring, as later in the year the nettles become coarse, unpleasant to eat -- and the stings hurt!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ9g-xCfDWtfcZ7cwTbcVNMPmiSnSmgn9iXDw0fhXNYbnE6uQDot93serSZIX0YhHdR_qeHuCb-hbn4fSf8-ZD9sczujjyBsuBFDeZcKFLvELYlRZpMXvcjwr5TTDKEKXhJ1vQ2aHp3I/s1600/nettles+foraged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ9g-xCfDWtfcZ7cwTbcVNMPmiSnSmgn9iXDw0fhXNYbnE6uQDot93serSZIX0YhHdR_qeHuCb-hbn4fSf8-ZD9sczujjyBsuBFDeZcKFLvELYlRZpMXvcjwr5TTDKEKXhJ1vQ2aHp3I/s200/nettles+foraged.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nettles - foraged</td></tr>
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<h3>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">Recipe:</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></i></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #38761d;">Ingredients:</span></i></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<ul>
<li>225g/8oz young nettle leaves</li>
<li>1 tablespoon butter</li>
<li>1 onion, chopped</li>
<li>2-4 cloves garlic, chopped (Stephanie's addition)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncTZYcsdkN3LbK-mzh1QdMNeQJY-oeyrhHAfrTbZ-TuCEYoqFivWiUmpGZoSAgqGGH-LxNqjYqmCXsGxBqmyqCiP88Z6EsyNDJaFgpMv_HNCMQuSrHk05n4RrkfKPbBNewaaut_2v-hY/s1600/nettles+chopped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncTZYcsdkN3LbK-mzh1QdMNeQJY-oeyrhHAfrTbZ-TuCEYoqFivWiUmpGZoSAgqGGH-LxNqjYqmCXsGxBqmyqCiP88Z6EsyNDJaFgpMv_HNCMQuSrHk05n4RrkfKPbBNewaaut_2v-hY/s200/nettles+chopped.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nettles - chopped</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 medium potato, chopped into small pieces</li>
<li>1 quart vegetable or meat stock</li>
<li>salt & freshly ground black pepper</li>
<li>creme fraiche to serve</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<i><span style="color: #38761d;">Preparation:</span></i></h3>
<div>
<i><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></i></div>
Remember to wear rubber gloves when preparing your nettles: wash & finely chop. Set aside.<br />
<br />
Heat the butter in a saucepan and saute the onion & potato for 2-3 minutes, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potato is soft and the stock is thickening.<br />
<br />
Add the chopped nettles and return to a simmer for a further 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.<br />
<br />
If you prefer a smoother soup, blend with an electric whisk or in a blender or food processor; then gently reheat for 1-2 minutes before serving. Serve each portion topped <br />
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with a spoonful of creme fraiche.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtxPUMQc7OfhiMLhjmMT8GtGwUtQ1lEFgb1Uhf8PogDmvvO3RfaxkZN4t6Z84DkqFDGuSwnqjfahqj6DYQPvwQrAg8ULRD1_qo1b2SlEYDcd_YprjwU1tYatndoS8lO9_G4LXJAF8334/s1600/nettle+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtxPUMQc7OfhiMLhjmMT8GtGwUtQ1lEFgb1Uhf8PogDmvvO3RfaxkZN4t6Z84DkqFDGuSwnqjfahqj6DYQPvwQrAg8ULRD1_qo1b2SlEYDcd_YprjwU1tYatndoS8lO9_G4LXJAF8334/s320/nettle+soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlG8TXjUu4yMF8MicLThkqkKQsg-dJhdCDNNWqJX8iMfLCrg9wAC-l2wiK4XtYdKgGakgBA0gr1qzbvEfVPKakZxrBQtkDrhwbPBK0aLptrZDW_j4OwsDpblvs2rXF3GXliL4jdGkIDI/s1600/nettle+soup+pureed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlG8TXjUu4yMF8MicLThkqkKQsg-dJhdCDNNWqJX8iMfLCrg9wAC-l2wiK4XtYdKgGakgBA0gr1qzbvEfVPKakZxrBQtkDrhwbPBK0aLptrZDW_j4OwsDpblvs2rXF3GXliL4jdGkIDI/s1600/nettle+soup+pureed.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgmLr_2cDU8DX9W26qoOE4kMFMqOhK6SJTH62DqJ70oFMng_OehC9BevCvXJLssdg6Zb1T7Fv0LCZ-HMw2AJDvFvMcaARKy2fcJx9PmjDRoRTXXX1bOVahPPPu6nawlLaDSEEv2Y3gJs/s1600/nettles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgmLr_2cDU8DX9W26qoOE4kMFMqOhK6SJTH62DqJ70oFMng_OehC9BevCvXJLssdg6Zb1T7Fv0LCZ-HMw2AJDvFvMcaARKy2fcJx9PmjDRoRTXXX1bOVahPPPu6nawlLaDSEEv2Y3gJs/s1600/nettles2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nettles with horsetail plant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;">Reference:</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;">Ody, Penelope; Lyon, Alice; Vilinac, Dragana. <i>The Chinese Herbal Cookbook: Healing Herbs from East & West. </i>London: Kyle Cathie, Ltd., 2000.</span><br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-27645666568383927332013-03-14T11:37:00.001-07:002013-03-17T21:47:25.855-07:00Book Review: Making Babies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideWt09aqM2WWjTkvK0YyCccFkPKShcALe0ufpgSPhCp2ncS9VuZw_V6sYhKmzz6fBCMK8REzlBe8C9E9DTPwKdEIG2VbGa2CaKlDccvWkwifBT1VxrWwAvKxCkHI-cCxh_7KjH-YyU60/s1600/fertility.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideWt09aqM2WWjTkvK0YyCccFkPKShcALe0ufpgSPhCp2ncS9VuZw_V6sYhKmzz6fBCMK8REzlBe8C9E9DTPwKdEIG2VbGa2CaKlDccvWkwifBT1VxrWwAvKxCkHI-cCxh_7KjH-YyU60/s1600/fertility.jpg" /></a></div>
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Increasingly, couples are turning to Chinese medicine for fertility support.<br />
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There are many good books on the market on natural and medical approaches to fertility enhancement. <i><b><span style="color: #990000;">Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility</span></b></i> takes an important place among them. This book is a fabulous resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the ways that<i> <b>Chinese medicine</b></i> can support fertility. And for any couple (or individual) experiencing trouble conceiving, this book is a great first resource and wide-ranging storehouse of information related to getting pregnant. This book will empower couples and individuals to develop their own, personalized, pre-conception plan for optimizing health and fertility.<br />
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<i><b>Making Babies</b> </i>is a truly <i><b>complimentary</b> </i>-- East-West medicine -- team-effort. The book's authors are <b>Dr. Sami S. David, MD</b>, reproductive endocrinologist and pioneer in the field of Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART), and <b>Jill Blakeway</b>, Licensed Acupuncturist and Founder & Clinical Director of YinOva Center, an alternative health service for women in New York City.<br />
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Conception: As Naturally As Possible</span></h3>
Not only are David and Blakeway are committed to a <i><b>complimentary</b></i> approach to fertility enhancement. Their mission in <i>Making Babies</i> is to help women get pregnant <i>as <b>naturally as possible</b>. </i>Their goal is to help women/couples understand exactly what might be getting in the way of natural conception, and to utilize the least invasive combination of methods for fertility enhancement that are necessary. They draw on lifestyle and nutritional adjustments, exercise, self-massage & relaxation strategies, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, medical and surgical treatments.<br />
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Dr. David's professional story is interesting. In the early 1980s, he was the first doctor to successfully perform IVF (in-vitro fertilization) in the state of New York. Uncomfortable with the feeling of "playing God," however, he reassessed his contribution to the field of reproductive endocrinology. While most of his professional colleagues went on to run IVF-centered practices, Dr. David turned his attention to less invasive medical and surgical treatment of infertility.<br />
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Dr. David and Ms. Blakeway acknowledge the important and valuable role of ART in helping millions of couples and individuals to conceive, and they are happy to refer patients to their colleauges who specialize in ART <i>when necessary.</i><i> </i>However, they begin <i>Making Babies</i> by thoughtfully addressing their concerns regarding the overuse and risks of ART.<br />
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The book is full of interesting anecdotes of women who, after months or years of struggling with infertility, were directed toward IVF by a physician, or who experienced failed IVF attempts. David and Blakeway describe how many of these women subsequently went on to conceive naturally after receiving: 1) a clear diagnosis of the cause of their infertility and 2) a far less invasive medical intervention.<br />
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This paragraph, from <i>Making Babies</i>, nicely summarizes David's practice,<br />
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"I'm a surgeon, but I approach infertility medically, then surgically if necessary. I only take about 10% of my patients into the operating room. The way I see it, the less invasive a treatment is, the better (of course, it still has to work). I don't put anybody on fertility drugs unless I have to, which turns out to be less than half the time. And when I do prescribe fertility drugs, I use only one-quarter of the dose most IVF docs do. Some couples I see need drugs, but not fertility drugs -- they need antibiotics or steroids. Some benefit from simply taking over-the-counter cough medicine or plain old aspirin. Some of my patients simply need to douche with baking soda....... My preference is always for the gentlest option that will be effective.... Almost always, good medical detective work will uncover the cause of a patient's infertility and so reveal the appropriate solution. And despite what you'd think if you walked into just about any IVF clinic in this country, the solutions don't often involve major invasive interventions."<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Nuts & Bolts of Conception</span></h3>
The next section of <i>Making Babies</i> is a thorough, yet accessible, overview of the structures and functions of the male and female reproductive systems and the mechanisms of conception, followed by a discussion of several methods for women to monitor their fertility cycles.<br />
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The idea here is that women and couples should be as informed and knowledgable as possible, particularly when they interact with their medical providers. Furthermore, David and Blakeway keep emphasizing the importance of knowing and understanding the specific diagnosis underlying one's fertility challenges, so that the remedy can be as focused, effective and gentle as possible.<br />
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Next comes a discussion of lifestyle, dietary, nutritional, exercise and stress reduction practices for optimal fertility, accompanied by descriptions of how women might modify these practices according to the phase of their menstrual cycle. These recommendations are based in a combination of western naturopathic and traditional Chinese medicine systems.<br />
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A nice aspect of the book is that the educational pieces and recommendations are all presented gently, optimistically and, often with a good bit of welcome humor. David and Blakeway are very much in touch with and compassionate about real women's day-to-day lives.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Five Fertility Types</span></h3>
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This section is the heart of the <i>Making Babies. </i>And, its the part where Chinese medicine really makes its contribution. This is also my favorite part of the book.</div>
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In introducing this section, Jill Blakeway rightly points out that one of the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine over western medicine's "one size fits all" treatment approach is its highly developed system of differential diagnosis. Chinese medicine will not, for example, treat all cases of luteal phase disorder or ovarian cysts equally. Rather a Chinese medicine practitioner seeks to discern an underlying pattern of imbalance, unique in each patient's case, based on all available signs, symptoms, fertility charting, laboratory testing, etc. Treatment for each patient is unique and addresses that patient's specific pattern of imbalance.</div>
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The idea of Chinese medicine is to bring restore a patient's health by bring him/her into balance. Healthy people have healthy babies.</div>
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<b>The Five Fertility Types,</b> then, are the five most common Chinese medicine patterns that Blakeway finds in her infertility patients. Instead of using Chinese medicine terminology that is erudite and elusive to the lay person or western practitioner (think "Kidney Yang deficiency, Liver congestion Qi stagnation, damp phlem accumulation"), Blakeway has come up with five diagnostic labels:</div>
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1. Tired</div>
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2. Dry</div>
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3. Stuck</div>
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4. Pale</div>
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5. Waterlogged</div>
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As a Chinese medicine practitioner who likes to write for western audiences, I'm very impressed with how Blakeway handles this section. I love the clarity of her descriptions. For each of these types, she explains the signs and symptoms that typify the pattern, including hormonal imbalances and western diagnoses commonly associated with these patterns of imbalance. She shows how each pattern of imbalance relates to sub-optimal function of very specific aspects of reproductive function.</div>
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Blakeway highlights the importance of consulting with and coordinating with conventional medical practioners in the service of infertility patients. She seeks to put translate Chinese medicine diagnoses in the context of western medicine, framing them in terms of hormonal imbalances and explaining how acupuncture and herbs can help to level them out. In working with western doctors, Blakeway sets time limits and accessible goals to guage patient's progress. I.e. she likes to see very specific signs of hormones returning to balance as acupuncture and herbal treatment progresses through three consecutive menstrual cycles.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Common Fertility Problems and Their Solutions:</span></h3>
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The next part of <i style="font-weight: bold;">Making Babies</i> is a thorough discussion of a full range of common fertility problems. These are divided into the categories of:</div>
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<li>hormonal/endocrine imbalances</li>
<li>structural/anatomical issues</li>
<li>infections</li>
<li>immune system issues</li>
<li>general health issues (such as hypothyroid, anemia, diabetes, intestinal disorders, etc.)</li>
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For each common fertility problem, Blakeway and David discuss:</div>
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<li>diagnostic methods, including how these should be timed in terms of a woman's menstrual cycles;</li>
<li>typically associated Chinese medicine diagnostic patterns;</li>
<li>solutions, including self-help tips, acupuncture and herbal treatment, medical or surgical intervention; along with</li>
<li>illustrative case studies of real-life patients and how they dealt with their fertility challeng and went on to have healthy babies.</li>
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Finally, David and Blakeway include a detailed discussion of a whole range of assisted reproductive techniques, including the role that Chinese medicine can play in supporting these techniques, when to use them, and how to make them as gentle as possible.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Pre-mester:</span><span style="color: #990000;"> How to Use the Making Babies Program for your Fertility Type:</span></h3>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Making Babies</i> culminates with an action plan. Patients are recommended to take three months in which to strengthen and rebalance their bodies using a range of recommendations in the areas of food, herbal teas (called "fertiliteas"), exercise, lifestyle, supplements, fertility strategies, medical assistance, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine. The authors lay out five comprehensive prescriptions, one for each fertility type. They maintain that three months of following these guidelines, in a relaxed, non-rigid way, will effectively help many couples and individuals in overcoming barriers to fertility and along the way to successfully conceiving and making a healthy baby. This is in line with most systems of traditional medicine and healing, which recommend that couples set aside a period of time to boost their health before conceiving.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">In closing:</span></h3>
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Some of the things I love about this book are:</div>
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<li>It's highly informativeand thorough. Key problems and solutions are discussed from various perspectives: Chinese medicine, western medicine, self-help.</li>
<li>It succeeds into making Chinese medicine concepts applicable by real-life people in critical, time-sensitive situations.</li>
<li>It empowers readers to interact with conventional and alternative medical providers from an informed perspective, laying the foundation for gentler, more effective outcomes.</li>
<li>It's real-life based, kind, friendly, optimistic, easy to read and implement.</li>
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I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of getting pregnant, anyone running into trouble conceiving, or anyone simply looking for clearn, down-to-earth, writing on Traditional Chinese Medicine.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">A Brief Illustration of one of the five Fertility Types:</span></h4>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Tired</i>, for example, is the most common pattern in her infertility patients. Chinese medicine practioners would call <i style="font-weight: bold;">tired</i> "Yang Qi vacuity." Tired patients have sluggish metabolic symptoms. Hypothyroid condition is an example. The symptoms of tired patients reflect hormonal imbalances affecting the reproductive hormones, but also eoncompassing the thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands. These imbalances impact metabolism, circulation, libido and, in turn, fertility. </div>
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In Chinese medicine terms, Yang Qi has functions of transforming, transporting, warming, protecting and containing. Weakness of Yang Qi may manifest as an inability of the woman's body to transform and egg and sperm into a viable embryo, to transport the egg from through the fallopian tubes into the uterus, to create the right temperature environment in the uterus, to mount the appropriate immune response to protect the embryo, or to contain the growing embryo in the uterus. Chinese medicine treatment would seek to warm and augment Yang Qi in order to support a women's body in these specific functions.</div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-71625026038628623962013-03-08T10:54:00.000-08:002013-03-09T06:48:49.406-08:00Eight Easy Herbal Teas for Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A cup of herbal tea is a perfect way to attune our bodies and minds to the delicate, fresh energy of Spring.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Spring</span></b> is a great time of year to attend to the health of the </span><b style="font-size: small;">Liver</b><span style="font-size: x-small;">. In Chinese medicine, the </span><b style="font-size: small;">Liver</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> plays a critical role in the health of our blood and in the </span><i style="font-size: small;">flow of energy</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> throughout our body. Sub-optimal Liver function, which we call </span><b style="font-size: small;">"Liver congestion Qi stagnation"</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> can make the transition from Winter to Spring a little more challenging, giving rise to symptoms like seasonal allergies, hormonal imbalances, PMS, painful periods, vision problems, headaches, migraines, muscle spasms, tendon & ligament injuries, mood swings, irritability, anger, depression, stress and overwhelm.</span><br />
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Here are eight easy-to-prepare herbal teas. Sip them throughout the day at home or at work to soothe & nourish your liver and ease your transition into Spring.<br />
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Keep it simple. Most of these herbs can be found in tea-bag form in your local health food store. Otherwise, you can buy them in bulk from your local health food store or western or Chinese herb supplier. Just steep in warm water and enjoy.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;">lemon</span></b></h2>
The simplest "tea" to support the Liver is a cup of hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. The sour flavor has a special affinity for the liver, counteracting the effects of rich, greasy food by breaking down fats and proteins.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><b>peppermint</b></span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Known best for treatment of colds & flus, peppermint also clears the eyes (eyes are related to the Liver in Chinese medicine), and circulates Liver Qi, relieving emotional stress, moodiness and gynecological problems, like PMS and cramps.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Peppermint tea with a bit of honey is a wonderful blend of sweet and spicy that is cooling, refreshing and revitalizing.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>goji (or lycium) berries</b></span></span></h2>
<span style="background-color: white;">Reputed as a longevity herb in China and said to brighten spirits and improve eyesight, goji berries are used by herbalists to nourish Liver and Kidney Yin and Blood to treat imbalances characterized by dryness, pallor and low-back ache. You can find goji berries in health food stores. Steeped with peppermint leaves, chrysanthemum flowers or other fresh herbs, they add richness and sweetness your favorite Spring tea</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><b>dandelion leaf & root</b></span></span></h2>
<span style="background-color: white;">This common weed is a tonic herb full of vitamins and minerals. It is well-known as a cleansing herb, as it stimulates the liver, induces bile flow and cleans the hepatic system. It tones the kidneys and aids in water elimination as well.</span><br />
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Chinese medicine uses all parts of the dandelion plant to clear toxic heat from the Liver. The leaves can be eaten as food or steeped and drunk as a tea. An infusion of dandelion root makes a pretty compelling coffee substitute.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><b>nettles</b></span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Nettles are one of the best-loved herbs in the western herbal traditions. You can find the young stinging nettles growing in the East Bay hills right now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Nettles have become well-known for the treatment of hayfever and allergies. Sip nettle tea daily to prevent Spring allergies. Nettles are full of vitamins and minerals. They activate the metabolism and strengthen the entire body. They tone the kidneys and cleanse the blood.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Additional uses are as a reproductive tonic for men and women; to ease growing pains in young children; to alleviate PMS and menopause symptoms; as a diuretics and to ease inflammation of the unrinary tract; to ease skin conditions like eczema; to decrease mucous in the body; and generally to enhance energy and vitaility.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Fresh nettles can often be found at farmers' markets at this time of year. You can also harvest them (wear rubber gloves because they sting!), and steam them for eating as you would other green vegetables, or steep and drink the tea. You can also find them in dried form at health food stores.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: x-large;"><b>chrysanthemum</b></span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Chrysanthemum treats fevers, colds, flu, headache and fever. In Chinese medicine it is used to clear heat from the Liver in order to heal red eyes, blurred vision, dizziness and hypertension symptoms. It can be used as an eye wash for sore or swollen eyes. It calms anger and irritability. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The Chinese drink it steeped with goji berries or mint leaves for its cooling and refreshing taste and rejeuvenative properties.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: x-large;"><b>chamomile</b></span></span></h2>
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Containing a lot of highly-assimilable calcium, chamomile helps soothe the nerves and improve sleep. It also eases cramps and spasms and improves digestion.</div>
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A gentle herb, chamomile is one of the best children's herbs. It's useful for teething, crying, restlessness, colic, gas, fever and insomnia. Used in a bath or as a wash, it can soothe cuts, skin abrasions and diaper rash.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><b>turmeric</b></span></span></h2>
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Turmeric is most commonly known as a spice in Indian cooking; but it can also be steeped as a tea and found as bagged tea in health food stores. The tuber can be juiced. I like to incorporate grated turmeric into my homemade saurkraut!</div>
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In Chinese medicine, we use both the turmeric <i>tuber</i> (which is energetically cooling) and the <i>rhizome</i> (which is energetically warming). Both have a powerful affect on many types of pain. The cooling tuber calms the nervous system as well.</div>
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Turmeric strengthens digestion, improves intestinal flora, aids in digestion of protein and moves gastric or abdominal congestion and its related pain. It powerfully detoxifies and decongests the liver and dissolves gallstones.</div>
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A great herb or food supplement for athletes, turmeric's action on the liver helps flexibility of the tendons. Blood-moving and anti-inflammatory, it is useful for wounds, bruises and other injuries, taken both externally and internally.</div>
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The warm rhizome is especially used to treat pain -- pain related to injury, chest pain, gastric, hernia or abdominal pain, and menstrual and postpartum pain. It circulates and purifies the blood, is anti-inflammatory, and stimulates the formation of new blood cells.</div>
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The tuber cools the blood and can be used to quell anxiety and agitation.<br />
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Related article: <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/ten-lifestyle-tips-for-spring-wellness.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Ten Lifestyle Tips for Spring Wellness</span></b></a>.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rosemary Gladstar. <i>Family Herbal: A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health, and Vitaility.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lesley Tierra, L.Ac. <i>The Herbs of Life: Health and Healing Using Western and Chinese Techniques.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bensky & Gamble. <i>Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 14px;">Pitchford, Paul. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 14px;">Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition.</i></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-45797062321484805592013-03-07T11:53:00.002-08:002013-04-12T03:00:06.313-07:00Ten Lifestyle Tips for Spring Wellness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LUW11xI_9BwOvBQ6rQXR_oWTkJorr0WILAsVtMInCx959hvQuPNLsmfA9IljfelKI4BbNLDlbQ6bnKaBxbrNpB-xda4TOdohipDphNIZ7Xe8N5dbJ51lBYrIVF3h0o-tMf6UwToKXrE/s1600/Spring-Growth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LUW11xI_9BwOvBQ6rQXR_oWTkJorr0WILAsVtMInCx959hvQuPNLsmfA9IljfelKI4BbNLDlbQ6bnKaBxbrNpB-xda4TOdohipDphNIZ7Xe8N5dbJ51lBYrIVF3h0o-tMf6UwToKXrE/s320/Spring-Growth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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According to the Gregorian calendar, <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Spring</b></span> begins on <b><span style="color: #274e13;">March 21st</span></b>. But in the classical Chinese lunar calendar, Spring starts in <b><span style="color: #274e13;">early February</span></b> (with the celebration of the lunar new year) and peaks at the <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>spring equinox</b></span> on March 21st.<br />
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Accordingly, we are well into the S<span style="color: #274e13; font-weight: bold;">pring season </span>-- the time of year when the energy of the earth begins to "quicken" after the dormancy of winter.<br />
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It certainly feels like Spring in the Bay Area. The longer hours of sunlight, budding fruit trees and fresh green growth sprouting from every sidewalk crack are impossible to miss.<br />
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In Chinese medicine, each new season brings a fresh opportunity to balance & strengthen our organ systems. The organ associated with Spring in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Liver</b></span>. Spring is a great time to attend to the health of the Liver.<br />
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According to Chinese medicine theory, the <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Liver </span></b>plays a critical role in the health of the blood and the <i>flow of energy</i> throughout the body. When the Liver stops functioning optimally, the energy of the whole body becomes blocked. We call this condition "Liver congestion Qi stagnation." Common symptoms are:</div>
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<li>seasonal allergies</li>
<li>hormonal imbalances</li>
<li>PMS and painful periods</li>
<li>vision problems</li>
<li>headaches & migraines</li>
<li>muscles spasms</li>
<li>tendon & ligament injuries</li>
<li>chronic neck pain or TMJ</li>
<li>mood swings</li>
<li>irritability, anger, sadness</li>
<li>stress, overwhelm.</li>
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In Springtime, the Qi of the Liver typically begins to flow more easily. Problems that bothered us in the Winter often start to feel better and we have more energy and vigor. Sometimes, though, when the Liver is not functioning optimally, the transition can be a little rocky. Issues related to Liver congestion (like those listed above) can be exacerbated for a while.<br />
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Although Liver imbalance can be addressed with Traditional Chinese Medicine at any time, Spring is the season when we can most effectively support the health of the Liver to bring about lasting changes.</div>
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Consider the following list of suggestions, derived from Chinese five-element theory, for boosting your health and unblocking "stuck Liver energy" during the Spring season.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But First ..... What is Five-Element Theory?</i></span></b></h3>
Five-element theory arose in pre-industrial, agrarian China where, as in all pre-industrial cultures, humans closely observed and depended on natural cycles of the earth and climate. In five-element theory, the five seasons of the year – Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Autumn and Winter – each correspond to a specific set of qualities and energies. In agricultural society, survival depended on a sophisticated understanding of and adaptation to the patterns of nature. Our modern, urban lives are less directly tied to agricultural cycles, but we still find greater health & happiness when we align ourselves, in big or small ways, with the prevailing energies of our natural environment.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Five-Element Theory, Spring has the following Correspondences:</span></i></h4>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><b>Element : Wood</b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #009900; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">Color : Blue-Green<br />Direction : East<br />Energy : Outward Expansion, Effortless Growth<br />Weather : Wind</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #009900; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">Emotion : Anger</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #009900; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">Sound : Shouting<br />Organs : Liver, Gall Bladder<br />Tissue : Tendons, Ligaments, Nails<br />Sense Organ : Eyes<br />Taste : Sour<br />Icon : Dragon<br />Life Stage : Birth, Infancy, Beginning</span></span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Rise Early/Sleep Early:</span></i></b></h2>
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The Spring season corresponds to the direction <b>East</b>, where the sun rises. It corresponds to <b>early morning</b> and <b>new beginnings</b>. New beginnings are a great antidote to "<i>stuck energy</i>." Hit the refresh button and find new vitality by rising early & taking in the delicate sweetness of dawn.<br />
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Go to bed before 11:00 p.m. This allows you to be in a deep stage of sleep during the Liver time (1:00-3:00 a.m.) The "Liver time" is said to be the time when the blood is strengthened and our hormones regenerated.<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Get Outside:</span></i></b></h2>
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Outdoor air helps the Qi flow, as does movement and increased breathing. If you're feeling irritable, lethargic, or stuck, find some time for an outdoor activity --- hiking, gardening, bicycling -- whatever suits you!</div>
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Whereas winter is an appropriate time for deep rest and hibernation, Spring is a good time to increase our activity level. Keep in mind, though, that the energy of Spring is still new & delicate. Your tendons and ligaments may be more susceptible to injury at this time of year when the air is still cool. So build up slowly & don't overdo it.<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Stretch:</span></i></b></h2>
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In Chinese medicine, the Liver is said to have a special relationship with the <b>sinews</b> -- that is, all the<b> tendons, ligaments</b> and <b>cartilage</b> that attach to our joints, allowing our muscles to move our body.<br />
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One of the Liver's jobs, according to Chinese medicine, is to send Blood to the <b>connective tissues </b>when the body is active. When the body is at rest, the Blood flows back to the Liver to be cleansed and regenerated. If this system is is working well -- if the Blood is properly enriched and circulating smoothly -- then our sinews will be properly lubricated and our movement smooth, flexible and pain-free.</div>
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<b>Gentle stretching</b> improves the health of the connective tissue and the flow of Qi. These, in turn, support the health of the Liver, thereby improving the quality of Blood in the body, which in turn nourishes the connective tissue. <b>Stretching</b> feels great and helps to revitalize the body after winter. It is the form of exercise specifically recommended for Springtime in classical Chinese medicine texts.<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Eat Lightly:</span></i></b></h2>
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The liver is our major organ of detoxification. Together with our gallbladder, it also metabolizes fats. In Spring, our appetites naturally decrease, helping to cleanse our bodies of heavy foods and other indulgences of winter.</div>
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In addition to <b>eating less</b>, you can support your liver's natural springtime detoxification process by decreasing your exposure to <b>toxins</b> and <b>chemicals</b>. Simple steps include eating organic foods, avoiding pesticides and preservatives in food, using chemical-free cleaning products, and natural body care products.</div>
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Taking a break from <b>alcohol</b> for a couple of weeks may also be helpful to the liver.</div>
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<b style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">5. Embrace Green:</span></i></b></h2>
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<b>If I could only give one health tip this season, I'd say <span style="color: #274e13;">EAT GREEN!</span> </b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Green</b></span> is the color associated with Spring in Chinese medicine theory. All green vegetables are supportive to Liver health. Bitter leafy greens are especially helpful in detoxifying, helping to chelate heavy metals in the body. These include dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, brocoli rabe, arugula, bok choy, cilantro and parsley.</div>
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The taste associated with the Liver is "<b>sour</b>." Garnish your leafy green vegetables with a little sour in the form of lemon or lime juice or apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized is best.) Sour helps guide nourishment to your Liver & supports circulation of Liver energy, according to Chinese medicine theory.</div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Please look out for a more comprehensive article on food & cooking methods for Spring health -- coming soon!</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>6. Enjoy Herbal Teas:</i></b></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;">The simplest "tea" to support the Liver is a cup of hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. (Remember, the flavor sour corresponds to the Spring season, and has an affinity for the Liver.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;">Sipping any of the following teas supports Liver health and lightens emotional intensity: peppermint, green tea, goji berries, dandelion leaf or root, nettles, chrysanthemum, chamomile, turmeric.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">For more, please see my article, <a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/7-great-herb-teas-for-spring.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>8 Easy Herbal Teas for Spring</b></span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>7. Rest Your Eyes:</i></b></span></h2>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Each of the major organs in Chinese medicine is said to "open into" one of the sense organs. The Liver and the </span><b style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">eyes</b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> have a mutually supportive relationship.</span></div>
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Consider taking a mid-day 20-30 minute break to lie down with closed eyes. (Even 5-10 minutes is helpful!) If you work on the computer most of the day, consider taking breaks throughout your day. First, look away from the computer to focus your eyes for a minute or two on something in the distance. Then, gently close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths.</div>
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Again, remember the relationship of the color <b style="color: #274e13;">green </b>to the Liver and the Spring season. Keep a green plant by your desk. Take a moment to gaze at your plant periodically during your work day. Take a few moments to gaze out the window. Take a daily walk allowing your eyes to relax while taking in the abundant green growth of the season.<br />
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Another way to relax the eyes is to be aware of the weight of the eyeballs. Close your eyes & imagine feeling the eyeballs sinking downward and backward, heavy against the back of the eye sockets. This exercise can provide some restorative balance, as we tend to spend most of our day with our eyes and our necks craned forward, hyper-alert.<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: x-large;"><i style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">8. Express Your Creativity:</i></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Let's step back for just a minute and look at the energetic cycle of the seasons according to five-element theory:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Winter is the time for deep rest and reflection. It is the darkness in which new ideas and visions germinate. With the thawing/quickening of Spring, new ideas begin to take form as delicate sprouts. The element associated with Spring is <b>wood</b>-- which we can visualize as the vibrant, uninhibited, outward growth of green plants. The growth of Spring, however, is still fresh and delicate, wild and unformed. Creative. It's still cold in Springtime, and our energy to act on new ideas is still limited. It's not until summer that our efforts really begin to produce lasting changes and results and our projects come to fruition.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">That being said, Spring is a great time to explore creative expression. Take an art class. Dance. Cook. Sing. Craft. Write. Its a great time to begin experimenting with outward expression with any dreams or visions you had during the winter months.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Liver energy does not like to be stifled. Feelings of frustration, anger or stress -- or any of the other physical or emotional symptoms listed above -- point to Liver congestion-Qi stagnation. Creative expression nourishes the Liver and provides a wonderful outlet for stagnant Qi.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>9. Deal with Anger:</i></b></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><b>Anger </b>is associated with the Liver in Chinese medicine. Anger arises from congestion of the Liver and consequent lack of free flow of Qi in the body. Ongoing anger, resentment and frustration exacerbate Liver congestion and give rise to heat and inflammation in the boy, thereby exacerbating a range of physical and emotional syndromes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Spring is an important and fruitful time of year to deal with feelings of anger because Liver energy is so available to us. Creative expression, physical movement, therapy, forgiveness, meditation are some avenues for dealing with anger.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I like the idea, which I came across in Paul Pitchford's book <i>Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition</i>, of cultivating </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><b>joy</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> as an antidote to anger. Joy is the emotion associated with the Heart organ, the element fire and the Summer season. According to the five-element cycle, joy is the child of anger (summer is the child of spring; fire is the child of wood.) If we strengthen the fire element, then we have somewhere to channel our excessive wood energy. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">How do we cultivate more joy in our lives? Some ideas are expressing gratitude, practicing kindness and compassion, creative expression, community building.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>10. Get a Seasonal Acupuncture Tune-Up:</i></b></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Even if you only have acupuncture a few times a year, the change of seasons is a good time to do it. Treatments are designed to harmonize your body (your internal environment) with the season (your external environment.) At this time of year, the energy of the Liver system is highly accessible to influence through acupuncture points and appropriate Chinese herbs. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Especially if you are feeling stress, anger or frustration or any of the signs and symptoms associated with Liver disharmony, listed above, just one session can help you start the season out right.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Links to more articles by Stephanie on Spring Health:</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-liver-in-traditional-chinese.html">The Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-recipe-nettle-soup.html">Spring Recipe: Nettle Soup</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/03/7-great-herb-teas-for-spring.html">Eight Easy Herbal Teas for Spring</a></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://acustef.blogspot.com/2013/04/spring-food-cooking-tips_12.html">Spring Food & Cooking Tips</a></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><i>References:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Haas, Elson, M.D. <i>Staying Healthy with the Seasons.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Liu Ming. Lectures, Oakland, CA. www.dayuancircle.org.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Macciocia, Giovanni. <i>The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists & Herbalists.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pitchford, Paul. <i>Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition.</i></span><br />
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375850857758786141.post-26893416615214903442013-01-23T23:09:00.001-08:002013-01-24T09:51:56.518-08:00Super-Easy Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Cold & Flu PreventionMy daughter & I have been faring pretty well so far during this virulent cold and flu season ("knock on wood"). This is not evidence-based or scientific --- BUT, my <i>hunch</i> is been to attribute our robust winter immunity to our daily spoonful of my homemade <span style="color: #20124d;"><b>elderberry syrup</b></span>.<br />
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(That... along with doing our best to follow my <a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2012/01/winter-cold-flu-prevention-eight-simple.html" target="_blank"><b>nine simple lifestyle adjustments for winter health</b></a>.)<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span><span style="font-size: large;">lderberries</span></b></span> (also known as <i>sambucus</i> or <i>sambucol</i>) have long been used in European folk medicine to prevent and treat the symptoms of the <b>common cold</b> and <b>flu</b>, as well as excess <b>mucous</b> and <b>sore throat</b>. These tiny purple-blue berries are typically found growing in moist areas along rivers, roads and in forests. They are rich in anti-oxidant flavinoids and anti-inflammatory anthocyanin, as well as potassium, beta carotene, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C. C<a href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20031222/elderberry-fights-flu-symptoms" target="_blank">linical research</a> has shown that elderberry extract can <b>shorten the course of a flu infection</b> and <b>decrease the severity of flu symptoms</b>. Evidence suggests that elderberry extract inactivates influenza virus.<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span><span style="font-size: large;">lderberry syrup</span></b> </span>is available in health food stores. But it is also super-easy to make at home. You can make large quantities for a lot less money, AND you can control exactly what goes into it.<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;">Elderberry syrup</span> is delicious for grown-ups and kids. Medicinal in its own right, it can be used to disguise a dose of herbs or other medicinals that your kid might resist.<br />
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The recipe I use comes from Emily Bartlett, L.Ac., pediatric acupuncturist and mama-blogger at <a href="http://holisticsquid.com/">holisticsquid.com</a>.<br />
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Her recipe is made with <span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>fresh ginger</b></span> - used in Chinese medicine to warm and protect the digestion as well as fend off colds. <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>Cinnamon</b></span> is an immune booster that helps to relieve pain. <span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Raw honey</b></span> (which balances the extreme tartness of the berries) contains micro-nutrients and enzymes which support your body. I often add other herbs and spices as I cook my brew-- like <span style="color: #660000;"><b>cloves</b></span>, <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>cardamom pods/seeds</b></span>, <span style="color: orange;"><b>orange peel</b></span>, or <span style="color: #660000;"><b>anise</b></span> (all of which warm the body, fight viruses and stimulate digestion and assimilation.) Small amounts of other cold/flu prevention like <b>astragalus</b>, <b>osha</b>, or <b>echinacea</b> root can be decocted with elderberries as well to enhance the medicinal effect, although the <span style="color: #20124d;"><b>elderberries</b></span> also stand well on their own.<br />
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Take 1-2 teaspoons daily during cold and flu season (taking an occasional break for a day or two), increasing as needed if you start to feel rundown. When you're sick, take one teaspoonful every 2-3 hours.<br />
For children under two, add the syrup to hot water to kill off any microbes in the honey.<br />
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Elderberry syrup is great right from the spoon, but you can also drizzle it over pancakes, yogurt or ice cream. Personally, I stir a spoonful into my daily homemade kombucha drink.<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">E</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">lderberry Syrup Recipe Ingredients:</span></h3>
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<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">1 cup dried elderberries* </li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">4 cups filtered water</li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">4 quarter-inch slices of fresh ginger</li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">2 cinnamon stick</li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">3 cloves</li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">1 cup, raw honey</li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">*Dried elderberries can be ordered from <a href="http://mountainroseherbs.com/" target="_blank"><b>Mountain Rose Herbs</b></a> or <a href="http://www.pacificbotanicals.com/" target="_blank"><b>Pacific Botanicals</b></a>. In Berkeley, I've founded them at Lhasa Karnak and Berkeley Bowl.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span><span style="font-size: large;">lderberry Syrup Cooking Method:</span></span></span></h3>
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<ol style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Add all ingredients except for the honey into a medium saucepan.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to medium.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Continue simmering for 30-45 minutes until the liquid is reduced to half.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Before the liquid cools, strain it through a fine mesh strainer.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Allow the liquid to cool to about 118F (to preserve the enzymes in the raw honey), and gently combine the warm reduced berry liquid with the raw honey.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Store in a jar in the fridge for a few weeks. For longer storage, freeze in jars or into ice cube trays to defrost for later use.</li>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 24px;">L</span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">inks to More Articles </span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;">by Stephanie Doucette, L.Ac., </span></span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 24px;">on </span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cold & Flu Prevention</span></span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"> with Chinese Medicine:</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2012/02/sinusitis-acupuncture-herbs-self.html" target="_blank">Sinusitis: Acupressure & Herbal Self-Treatment Tips</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2012/02/chinese-patent-formulas-for-prevention.html" target="_blank">Herbal Cold & Flu Self-Care with Chinese Patent Formulas</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2012/01/do-it-yourself-pediatric-massage.html" target="_blank">Pediatric Massage Techniques (DYI) for Cold & Flu</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.acustef.blogspot.com/2012/01/colds-flu-traditional-chinese.html" target="_blank">Cold & Flu: Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective Summarized</a></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10738068495794642843noreply@blogger.com